as in to interrogate
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 debrief
On the May 4 episode of The Real Housewives of Atlanta, Angela debriefs her husband on the dramatic ending to the cast trip to Nashville.
—
Liza Esquibias, People.com, 5 May 2025
On a recent night, syndicate veterans debriefed 13 first-timers to learn their situations.
—Benjamin Cunningham Edu Bayer, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2025
Teams should debrief what went wrong without laying blame and reflect on the lessons gained for the future.
—Glenn Llopis, Forbes.com, 19 Apr. 2025
On the March 20 episode of The Kardashians, Kendall debriefed Kylie Jenner on the tense and emotional reunion Khloé, 40, had with her ex-husband Lamar Odom.
—Julia Moore, People.com, 20 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for debrief
Liza Esquibias, People.com, 5 May 2025
On a recent night, syndicate veterans debriefed 13 first-timers to learn their situations.
—Benjamin Cunningham Edu Bayer, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2025
Teams should debrief what went wrong without laying blame and reflect on the lessons gained for the future.
—Glenn Llopis, Forbes.com, 19 Apr. 2025
On the March 20 episode of The Kardashians, Kendall debriefed Kylie Jenner on the tense and emotional reunion Khloé, 40, had with her ex-husband Lamar Odom.
—Julia Moore, People.com, 20 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for debrief
Recent Examples of Synonyms for debrief
Verb
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The exercise of writing is to think about your own thinking, to put ideas into form and interrogate them.—
Lindsey Witmer Collins,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2025
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During his imprisonment, security agents beat and bit him, interrogated him with a bag over his head and shocked him with electricity, according to media reports.—
Verónica Egui Brito,
Miami Herald,
17 June 2025
Verb
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Skeptics will point to his physical issues and question his fit outside the Warriors’ unique system.—
John Hollinger,
New York Times,
21 June 2025
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But an analysis of new data from Hubble and the European Space Agency’s Gaia Space Telescope has caused researchers to question that time frame.—
Avery Hurt,
Discover Magazine,
21 June 2025
Verb
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Gi-hun examines Jun-hee’s swollen ankle, which seems impossible to jump on.—
Jennifer Zhan,
Vulture,
27 June 2025
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The Congress must thoroughly examine this decision by the Supreme Court to find ways to legislate and protect the Constitutional right to citizenship for all those born in America.—
Barnini Chakraborty,
The Washington Examiner,
27 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Debrief.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debrief. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
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