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
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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
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Recent Examples of debacle
As the Enola Gay debacle demonstrated, politicians and other stakeholders—including the donors who provide a decent amount of exhibition funding—tend to want the institution to tell uplifting stories.
—
Lily Meyer, The Atlantic, 22 Jan. 2026
Closer to home, Texas Democrats are concerned that Paxton might not push Musk over the Grok debacle given the billionaire’s thick GOP connections.
—Abby McCloskey, Twin Cities, 22 Jan. 2026
The Minnesota politicians resurrecting the George Floyd debacle.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 22 Jan. 2026
The chicken nuggets debacle throws Cathy and Max off and affects their work.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 20 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for debacle
Lily Meyer, The Atlantic, 22 Jan. 2026
Closer to home, Texas Democrats are concerned that Paxton might not push Musk over the Grok debacle given the billionaire’s thick GOP connections.
—Abby McCloskey, Twin Cities, 22 Jan. 2026
The Minnesota politicians resurrecting the George Floyd debacle.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 22 Jan. 2026
The chicken nuggets debacle throws Cathy and Max off and affects their work.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 20 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for debacle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for debacle
Noun
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One compelling example in the education space that Parker-Holder and Rivas described was allowing students to get a sense of what working in different professions might be like, such as assisting in disaster recovery.—
Abhimanyu Ghoshal,
New Atlas,
30 Jan. 2026
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The action also authorizes the use of disaster emergency funds and allows the OEM to mobilize state resources, make contracts and awards using emergency procurement procedures and encumber and expend funds as determined by the director of the OEM.—
Alexandra Koch,
FOXNews.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
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That last-minute development is reviving debate about the extent of state support for Vanke, one of the last major developers to have avoided an outright default after a broader property market slump sparked record debt failures in recent years.—
Bloomberg News,
Bloomberg,
28 Jan. 2026
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Poetry is a testament to the failure of wolves.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The second half of the series is Ben Kingsley reprising his role as Trevor Slattery, the actor character who played The Mandarin in Iron Man 3, attempting to redeem himself after that fiasco.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
23 Jan. 2026
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The parking meter fiasco has been back in the news this week because that original consortium put the deal up for sale and why not?—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The tragedy marked the second fatal incident involving North Texas students during the winter storm.—
Michael Dorgan,
FOXNews.com,
28 Jan. 2026
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The letters had been dispatched from Cartagena de Indias, the rich port city on the coast of what is now Colombia, just days after what appeared to have been a horrific tragedy.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
While the ice apocalypse has wrapped up, dangerously cold air still has a grip on Texas.—
Mary Wasson,
Austin American Statesman,
26 Jan. 2026
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Created in 1947, the Doomsday Clock was created to convey threats to humanity and the Earth using the imagery of apocalypse (midnight) and the contemporary idiom of nuclear explosion (countdown to zero).—
Amaris Encinas,
USA Today,
24 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Debacle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debacle. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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