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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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

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 Wanna join me in (mostly) pretending the Falcons’ exhibition-opening debacle didn’t happen? — Tyler Estep, AJC.com, 17 Aug. 2026 River believes that Webb, perhaps deliberately, misled him during the training exercise, which resulted in the debacle. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 17 Aug. 2026 The market maker described the impact of the debacle at Situational Awareness while seeking to refinance billions of dollars of debt, according to the Financial Times, which earlier reported the loss. — Katherine Doherty, Fortune, 15 Aug. 2026 Compared to the multibillion-dollar budgets of other DOD projects, the financial cost of the Texas debacle is small. — Jesse Coburn, ProPublica, 12 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
  • Displaced from their homes, hundreds of families resettled on the low-lying banks of the Trishuli river – only to face yet another horrific disaster on Wednesday.
    — Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Purchase and install emergency generators, integrate electrical systems, and conduct testing and preparedness activities so participating rural hospitals can maintain critical services during outages and disasters.
    — Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Arkansas Online, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of disaster
Noun
  • The failure by American and Canadian trade negotiators to reach a deal came after nearly two weeks of furious talks.
    — Steve Kopack, NBC news, 22 Aug. 2026
  • Ultimately Keegan’s team fell short, but this was no failure.
    — Michael Walker, New York Times, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of failure
Noun
  • That tension between catastrophe for humanity and recovery for nature runs all the way to the ending.
    — Solitaire Townsend, Forbes.com, 23 Aug. 2026
  • The first step in averting this spiral toward catastrophe is for both Beijing and Washington to bear in mind that these economic tools were not designed as weapons.
    — GLORIA XIONG, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of catastrophe
Noun
  • Though the reason for Marte’s initial absence remains unknown publicly — the Diamondbacks were so blindsided by it that he was scratched only minutes before Monday’s game — the team seemed eager to move on from the fiasco.
    — Marc Carig, New York Times, 22 Aug. 2026
  • Legal disputes and financial chaos have made the LAX people mover a construction fiasco, raising doubts about when it will ever be finished.
    — Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of fiasco
Noun
  • But the scale of the tragedy is becoming clear, with social media filled with countless pleas for help – including from the Nepali diaspora overseas.
    — Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Quite the tragedy because my brows are such a prominent part of my face.
    — Iman Balagam, Vogue, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of tragedy
Noun
  • The Bronx spans several blocks of Calle 56 and looks like a junkyard apocalypse.
    — Mattha Busby, Rolling Stone, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Worried about the dog in the sci-fi apocalypse thriller The End of Oak Street?
    — Greg Evans, Deadline, 15 Aug. 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 Aug. 2026.

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