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debacle

noun

dē-ˈbä-kəl How to pronounce debacle (audio)
variants also débâcle
Definition of debaclenext
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

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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

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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 However, following the debacle in Saxony-Anhalt, pressure to show some flexibility in that strategy is mounting. — Anna Noryskiewicz, CBS News, 7 Sep. 2026 Last year, when there was the SNAP debacle, kids were actually coming to school hungry. — Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 2 Sep. 2026 Supporters highlight funding efforts Perkins and his supporters, however, want voters to know the councilmember’s career has encompassed more than just the data center debacle. — Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 26 Aug. 2026 The debacle has cast light on the various ways in which leverage is increasingly underpinning the wider AI boom. — Hugh Leask, CNBC, 25 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for debacle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for debacle
  1. disaster
  2. failure
  3. catastrophe
  4. fiasco
  5. tragedy
  6. apocalypse
Noun
  • Los Angeles County officials aim to break ground on the new Eaton Canyon Nature Center before 2028, with plans to construct a facility that can withstand the region’s changing climate and future disasters.
    — Jaclyn Cosgrove, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2026
  • The Challenger disaster was of course the 1986 explosion of NASA’s eponymous space shuttle shortly after launch, which left all seven crew members dead.
    — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of disaster
Noun
  • Repeating that process places significant stress on components, increasing operational and capital costs due to the risk of failure, maintenance requirements and downtime.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 26 Sep. 2026
  • The driver, identified as 54-year-old Robert Delorenzo of Stratford, was arrested and charged with reckless driving, operating an unregistered motor vehicle and failure to stop on the right side of the road.
    — Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of failure
Noun
  • Wrightwood residents are used to pulling together to face catastrophe.
    — Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 27 Sep. 2026
  • Beginning after Hurricane Andrew in 1992 and continuing to this day, smaller companies sprang up and took on big roles here, as national insurers pulled back rather than risk the financial catastrophe of another huge, damaging tropical system.
    — Ron Hurtibise, Sun Sentinel, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of catastrophe
Noun
  • But Rubin’s song selection and line of questioning never toss the artist a curious misfire or label fiasco to unpack.
    — Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 22 Sep. 2026
  • Okereke said that Sunday’s showing is much more representative of the defense’s potential than the week 1 fiasco.
    — Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of fiasco
Noun
  • The Edmiston family looks forward to bringing accountability to those who exploited tragedy to divide and injure.
    — Adam Sabes, FOXNews.com, 22 Sep. 2026
  • But Pavese understood that the only lesson tragedy really teaches is that there is no end to suffering.
    — Max Norman, Harpers Magazine, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of tragedy
Noun
  • His character in Resident Evil serves the opposite role of the normie who simply does not want to acknowledge the unfolding of an apocalypse around him.
    — Alison Willmore, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Continue reading … Who quit his job and predicted an AI apocalypse?
    — , FOXNews.com, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of apocalypse

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Cite this Entry

“Debacle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debacle. Accessed 28 Sep. 2026.

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