as in interrogating
to officially ask (someone) about a job that has been done or about an experience
Police debriefed the hostages upon their return. The pilot was debriefed after his flight.
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Recent Examples of debriefing
Chapman, who worked long hours debriefing Marquez over the years and shepherded his grand jury testimony, grew emotional while talking about Marquez’s qualities as a wonky engineer who could talk endlessly about the inner workings of the ComEd’s electrical grid.
—
Jason Meisner, Chicago Tribune, 19 Feb. 2026
Health care workers may dip into depression and substance abuse, and Rau seeks to counter that by debriefing his staff after tragedies and encouraging them to reach out to one another.
—Andy Sheehan, CBS News, 29 Dec. 2025
Meanwhile, Charlotte’s husband is debriefing with Shaw, while obviously fudging the details of Pauly’s death.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 24 Nov. 2025
For Morgan, making a video at the end of the day, debriefing all aspects of the long, grueling days of recruitment, was never going to be a polished piece of content.
—Tabitha Parent, People.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Jason Meisner, Chicago Tribune, 19 Feb. 2026
Health care workers may dip into depression and substance abuse, and Rau seeks to counter that by debriefing his staff after tragedies and encouraging them to reach out to one another.
—Andy Sheehan, CBS News, 29 Dec. 2025
Meanwhile, Charlotte’s husband is debriefing with Shaw, while obviously fudging the details of Pauly’s death.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 24 Nov. 2025
For Morgan, making a video at the end of the day, debriefing all aspects of the long, grueling days of recruitment, was never going to be a polished piece of content.
—Tabitha Parent, People.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for debriefing
Verb
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Or gents or anyone else, though the Masters isn’t exactly a hotbed of bold, gender-interrogating fashion decisions.—
AJ Willingham,
AJC.com,
6 Apr. 2026
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The board will spend the next few months interrogating submissions from all three cities and speaking to their champions in more detail.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The individual is awaiting questioning by Ontario Police Department detectives who are en route.—
Michael Dorgan,
FOXNews.com,
7 Apr. 2026
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The Microsoft co-founder is scheduled for questioning on June 10, the source said.—
Graham Kates,
CBS News,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
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In 2019, the political scientists Katherine Levine Einstein, Maxwell Palmer, and David Glick published a study examining who attended such meetings in the Boston area.—
Idrees Kahloon,
The Atlantic,
13 Apr. 2026
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In addition to connecting with their characters that are written as creative artists, Bradford and Ramos are relating to what Berryman is examining about friendship.—
David L. Coddon,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
12 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Debriefing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debriefing. Accessed 14 Apr. 2026.
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