1
as in garbage
discarded or useless material
the unsightly debris left after mining operations had ceased
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in rubble
the portion or bits of something left over or behind after it has been destroyed
the demolition workers cleared away all of the debris from the demolished building
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 debris
Water can hide rocks, trees and debris.
—
Hayleigh Evans, AZCentral.com, 25 Sep. 2025
Use your toothbrush or cotton swabs to carefully remove debris.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 25 Sep. 2025
Do not burn debris or other items during an air quality alert.
—Star-Telegram Weather Bot, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 Sep. 2025
But in a new paper that has yet to be peer-reviewed, a team of researchers that includes NASA scientists argue that a lunar impact of that magnitude could kick up debris that would threaten Earth's satellites, and even astronauts on the International Space Station.
—Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 24 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for debris
Hayleigh Evans, AZCentral.com, 25 Sep. 2025
Use your toothbrush or cotton swabs to carefully remove debris.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 25 Sep. 2025
Do not burn debris or other items during an air quality alert.
—Star-Telegram Weather Bot, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 Sep. 2025
But in a new paper that has yet to be peer-reviewed, a team of researchers that includes NASA scientists argue that a lunar impact of that magnitude could kick up debris that would threaten Earth's satellites, and even astronauts on the International Space Station.
—Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 24 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for debris
Recent Examples of Synonyms for debris
Noun
-
Yeah, nah, that was hot garbage.—
Pete Grathoff,
Kansas City Star,
22 Sep. 2025
-
The suburb’s alleys create the perfect transmission pathway, with no cross-ventilation, open drains clogged with garbage, and families of six huddled in single rooms.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
21 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
By the time the day finally came, school was out for summer, and I was no longer obsessed with rescuing the silver or anything else from the rubble.—
Dana Goodyear,
New Yorker,
22 Sep. 2025
-
Three months later, with the rubble still smoldering, Mayor-elect Mike Bloomberg called to ask me to become health commissioner.—
Tom Frieden,
Fortune,
21 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Gently suction dirt, pollen, and dust from screens, being careful not to press too hard.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
27 Sep. 2025
-
There’s bones, ashes, psyche, fate fabric, and moon dust that can all be spent on improving different gameplay systems with permanent upgrades.—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
27 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
But Barker, 32, and Goldstein, 35, miraculously survived and were spotted a few feet from the wreckage by local resident William Owens, 60, who had been driving near the airport.—
Gillian Telling,
PEOPLE,
20 Sep. 2025
-
In August 2023, three Marines died in the wreckage of an Osprey on Melville Island in Australia.—
Seth Harp,
Harpers Magazine,
19 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Since trash pickup is every Tuesday where Wilson lives, this is a chore that always falls into her Monday rotation.—
Sarah Lyon,
Southern Living,
28 Sep. 2025
-
Then, there’s easily a dozen or more items like plants, minerals, and literal trash that can be found on runs, mined from beating bosses, or farmed in the Crossroads.—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
27 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
From Athens' historic ruins to the shimmering skyscrapers of New York City, global inspiration has been turned into towering confections worthy of a wedding.—
Ashlyn Robinette,
PEOPLE,
25 Sep. 2025
-
Interlaken is all about the outdoors, including hikes through snowy woods—like the three-mile path along Lake Thun through a forest and past fortress ruins that arrives at a lakeside park in Unterseen.—
AFAR Media,
AFAR Media,
24 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Locating and identifying seabed rubbish that's prime for removal is undertaken via onboard sonar and a vision camera, plus AI processing, to help the robot recognize trash and determine where best to grab on.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
23 Sep. 2025
-
My pile begins as a load of raw if purposeful rubbish, a rough draft that with time and effort is refined into a finished product put to immediate use.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Reduce rodent habitat around your home, workplace, and recreational areas by removing brush, rock piles, junk, cluttered firewood and possible rodent food supplies.—
Fernando Cervantes Jr,
USA Today,
24 Sep. 2025
-
Junk King, a junk removal company with nearly 200 locations in the United States including Sacramento and Roseville, continued its support Saturday for the Great American River Clean-Up.—
Rosalio Ahumada,
Sacbee.com,
20 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Debris.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debris. Accessed 30 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share