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
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of debacle
But the excuse the golfing great reportedly gave to the sheriff’s deputy who suspected him of driving under the influence makes his latest debacle even worse.
—
Doug Turnbull, AJC.com, 5 Apr. 2026
Faubus’ debacle, which garnered massive international notice, lasted for nearly three weeks, until President Eisenhower took control of the state’s National Guard and forced him to comply with federal law.
—Daniel Felsenthal, Pitchfork, 4 Apr. 2026
My only reservation about what’s happening is that there might be many American soldiers thrown into this debacle by our demented president.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 4 Apr. 2026
Woodstock gave its name to a generation, but the concert itself was a debacle that nearly bankrupted its promoters.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for debacle
Doug Turnbull, AJC.com, 5 Apr. 2026
Faubus’ debacle, which garnered massive international notice, lasted for nearly three weeks, until President Eisenhower took control of the state’s National Guard and forced him to comply with federal law.
—Daniel Felsenthal, Pitchfork, 4 Apr. 2026
My only reservation about what’s happening is that there might be many American soldiers thrown into this debacle by our demented president.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 4 Apr. 2026
Woodstock gave its name to a generation, but the concert itself was a debacle that nearly bankrupted its promoters.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for debacle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for debacle
Noun
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It’s been roughly 11 months since the Knicks and Celtics met in the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs last season, a series ending in disaster for the Celtics, who were favored to beat the Knicks before blowing consecutive 20-point leads to open the semifinals.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
10 Apr. 2026
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The disaster declaration will cover Kankakee, Ford, Grundy, Iroquois, Livingston, and Will counties.—
Todd Feurer,
CBS News,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Eno understood that creative blocks are almost always a failure of perspective, not a failure of talent, and sometimes failure can even be an important part of the process overall.—
Jennifer Sodini,
Rolling Stone,
7 Apr. 2026
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The agency said the failure could reduce the driver's visibility and increase the risk of a crash.—
Mary Cunningham,
CBS News,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
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And then there was the Byju’s fiasco.—
Nate Freeman,
Vanity Fair,
3 Apr. 2026
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To hear the critics’ version of events, an unprovoked and unnecessary attack on Iran, launched at Israel’s behest, is already a foreign-policy fiasco that has put the global economy at risk without any clear objective or endgame.—
Bret Stephens,
Mercury News,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
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In January 2025, 41-year-old Plaza was struck by tragedy when her husband was found dead by suicide inside his Los Angeles home.—
Jessica Schladebeck,
New York Daily News,
8 Apr. 2026
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Deadly boat tragedies are common in the central African country, where late-night travels and overcrowded vessels are often blamed.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
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But none of this means the robot apocalypse is imminent.—
Catherina Gioino,
Fortune,
6 Apr. 2026
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With its mix of Norse mythology, eighteenth-century cryptozoology, nineteenth-century science fiction, and the biblical apocalypse, the poem tells of something tragic and mysterious lying just beyond the bounds of human knowing.—
Kathryn Hughes,
The New York Review of Books,
4 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Debacle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debacle. Accessed 11 Apr. 2026.
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