variants
also débâcle
1
as in disaster
a sudden violent event that brings about great loss or destruction
the financial debacle that was the stock market crash of 1929
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in failure
something that has failed
the movie, which some had predicted would be a blockbuster, turned out to be the summer's biggest debacle at the multiplexes
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of debacle
So was the collateralized mortgage debacle starting in 2007.
—
Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 19 Oct. 2025
While the women have long dispelled rumors of any bad blood between them, unconvinced fans reignited conflict rumors in February 2023 after an infamous eyebrow debacle.
—Anthony Robledo, USA Today, 18 Oct. 2025
The Dolphins, who entered Sunday’s debacle in Charlotte with one of the league’s worst run defenses, can now lay claim to having the absolute worst.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 6 Oct. 2025
Even Trackhouse team owner Justin Marks, who in one moment consoled Chastain and in the next celebrated with race winner and road-racing-wonder Shane van Gisbergen, weighed in on the last-lap debacle.
—Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 6 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for debacle
Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 19 Oct. 2025
While the women have long dispelled rumors of any bad blood between them, unconvinced fans reignited conflict rumors in February 2023 after an infamous eyebrow debacle.
—Anthony Robledo, USA Today, 18 Oct. 2025
The Dolphins, who entered Sunday’s debacle in Charlotte with one of the league’s worst run defenses, can now lay claim to having the absolute worst.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 6 Oct. 2025
Even Trackhouse team owner Justin Marks, who in one moment consoled Chastain and in the next celebrated with race winner and road-racing-wonder Shane van Gisbergen, weighed in on the last-lap debacle.
—Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 6 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for debacle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for debacle
Noun
-
The floods have also left 11 people missing, inundated more than 116,000 houses and 5,000 hectares of crops, and damaged roads and railways, cutting off traffic and power in several areas, the government’s disaster agency said in a report.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
31 Oct. 2025
-
Desmond McKenzie, deputy chair of Jamaica's disaster risk management council, declined to share how many people have died, although authorities separately told AP at least four deaths occurred in southwest Jamaica.—
Elizabeth Howell,
Space.com,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The failures of that occupation were many, relating to security, governance, the economy, and provision of basic municipal services.—
Ben Wedeman,
CNN Money,
5 Nov. 2025
-
My father had two superpowers that saved him in the face of all those failures—his talent for telling stories and gardening.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
One of his conclusions after all that government service was that Congress had scraped too much power away from the presidency after the fiasco of Vietnam and scandal of Watergate.—
Brian Bennett,
Time,
5 Nov. 2025
-
According to a post on the Reddit Wedding Shaming forum, a woman detailed the fiasco surrounding her cousin’s wedding.—
Emily Strohm,
PEOPLE,
4 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
But tragedies like these also reflect the vulnerability of this refugee population – with the overall reduction in support causing a cascade effect for those already living on a knife edge of survival.—
Rebecca Wright,
CNN Money,
25 Oct. 2025
-
Mistakes, misfortunes, even tragedy, toxic secrets from the past—anything can happen, or may have happened.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
This tale of a plausible viral apocalypse makes the case that true horrors can lurk just outside our view — and possibly within us all.—
Dennis Perkins,
Entertainment Weekly,
31 Oct. 2025
-
The situation devolves from there, in a sort of micro-zombie apocalypse.—
The Atlantic Culture Desk,
The Atlantic,
29 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Debacle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debacle. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share