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
Importantly, there was no significant difference in recovery between people who were debriefed and those who were not.
—
Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 26 Aug. 2025
Less than 24 hours after the meetings with Trump, the European Union leaders who were present were in virtual sessions debriefing their counterparts.
—Brittney Melton, NPR, 20 Aug. 2025
The announcement came just one day after Zelenskyy and several European leaders gathered at the White House to debrief following Trump's high-stakes summit with Putin in Alaska.
—Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 20 Aug. 2025
Leah, Serena, and JaNa go to Malibu Wines to debrief on recent events.
—Olivia Crandall, Vulture, 15 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for debrief
Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 26 Aug. 2025
Less than 24 hours after the meetings with Trump, the European Union leaders who were present were in virtual sessions debriefing their counterparts.
—Brittney Melton, NPR, 20 Aug. 2025
The announcement came just one day after Zelenskyy and several European leaders gathered at the White House to debrief following Trump's high-stakes summit with Putin in Alaska.
—Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 20 Aug. 2025
Leah, Serena, and JaNa go to Malibu Wines to debrief on recent events.
—Olivia Crandall, Vulture, 15 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for debrief
Recent Examples of Synonyms for debrief
Verb
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At the police station, Tip Hunter interrogated Williams and Thomas Davis for hours about NAACP activity before releasing Thomas Davis, who left town.—
Equal Justice Initiative,
USA Today,
6 Nov. 2025
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Violent images of prisoners being interrogated at Abu Ghraib prison complex eventually came out, damaging the United States’ standing on the world stage and sparking a Senate Intelligence Committee report on the CIA’s interrogation program.—
Ellen Mitchell,
The Hill,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Leaders must analyze complex data, question AI outputs and make ethical decisions amid rapid change.—
Rolling Stone Culture Council,
Rolling Stone,
10 Nov. 2025
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In September 2025, TCC Chief Financial Officer Pamela Anglin questioned the drastic drop in votes allotted.—
Rachel Royster,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
10 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Some of the sites that CNN examined have less obvious visual clues tying them to missile production.—
Tamara Qiblawi,
CNN Money,
7 Nov. 2025
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The researchers focused on lithium aluminum alloys and examined how lithium ions navigate two internal phases, known as the lithium-rich beta phase and the lithium-poor alpha phase.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
7 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Debrief.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debrief. Accessed 11 Nov. 2025.
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