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.
Related Words
Relevance
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 debrief
The system should help managers understand what the data means, debrief the results, identify business implications, build action plans, recommend stakeholders and track behavior change over time.
—
Brent Gleeson,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
Ben tells João about his argument with Daisy, and João suggests the three of them have a head of department (HOD) dinner that night, to debrief and reset.
—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
28 Apr. 2026
Fox said Williams was debriefed in September 2015 and signed a nondisclosure agreement.
—
Allen G. Breed,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Apr. 2026
Shortly thereafter, Dowd found herself inside the FBI’s resident agency in Brevard County, where she was debriefed by a special agent.
—
Adam Ciralsky,
Vanity Fair,
19 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for debrief
Brent Gleeson,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
Ben tells João about his argument with Daisy, and João suggests the three of them have a head of department (HOD) dinner that night, to debrief and reset.
—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
28 Apr. 2026
Fox said Williams was debriefed in September 2015 and signed a nondisclosure agreement.
—
Allen G. Breed,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Apr. 2026
Shortly thereafter, Dowd found herself inside the FBI’s resident agency in Brevard County, where she was debriefed by a special agent.
—
Adam Ciralsky,
Vanity Fair,
19 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for debrief
Recent Examples of Synonyms for debrief
Verb
-
The Average Problem Dines has been running his own experiments with frontier models, asking them to write in distinct styles and then interrogating them about why the output comes back bland.
-
Her new album, Fata Morgana, uses an array of cascading rhythms, impish hooks, and fierce poetry to interrogate her place in a corrupt American society.
Verb
-
Photos of Haaland on the tarmac posted to social media were riddled with homophobia and comments questioning the striker’s masculinity.
-
Maps published by the Israeli government show the pilot zones encompassing the villages of Froun, Zawtar al-Gharbiyeh and Ghandouriyeh, but commentators question their value, noting Israel does not have a significant presence in those villages.
Verb
-
Apple examines each application and each update of every third-party app, and if these don’t meet Apple’s definition of acceptable, then they are not allowed to be installed.
-
These agencies examine the water in comparison to contamination thresholds to determine if the area is swimmable.
Cite this Entry
“Debrief.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debrief. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
