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
Some of us are going to be telling stories (gesturing to Flowers and Morrison) and some of us are going to be speaking with the village elders about how to make your life better (gesturing to Shepard and Robbins), and some of us are going to be trying to debrief about the news of the day.
—
Julian Sancton, HollywoodReporter, 17 Nov. 2025
Dinner is a fun time for travelers to debrief about the day before getting prepped for the next day.
—Miami Herald, 30 Oct. 2025
For Morgan, making a video at the end of the day, debriefing all aspects of the long, grueling days of recruitment, was never going to be a polished piece of content.
—Tabitha Parent, People.com, 2 Sep. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for debrief
Julian Sancton, HollywoodReporter, 17 Nov. 2025
Dinner is a fun time for travelers to debrief about the day before getting prepped for the next day.
—Miami Herald, 30 Oct. 2025
For Morgan, making a video at the end of the day, debriefing all aspects of the long, grueling days of recruitment, was never going to be a polished piece of content.
—Tabitha Parent, People.com, 2 Sep. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for debrief
Recent Examples of Synonyms for debrief
Verb
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Lubesnik is the one called to interrogate the first of several crime scenes in Crime 101, which will put him on an eventual collision course with Davis.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
13 Feb. 2026
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Moreover, sociology is one of the best empirical fields for interrogating the consequences of different values, for how ideas get built into institutions, for how social networks operate across domains.—
Wendy Nelson Espeland,
Mercury News,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The first inkling of the government questioning the DHS account came from the US Department of Justice.—
Emma Tucker,
CNN Money,
15 Feb. 2026
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The planned 90,000-square-foot project would represent the most significant change to the White House grounds in decades and is advancing even as it is challenged in court and questioned on Capitol Hill.—
Dan Diamond,
Washington Post,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Prescott said the employer portions of the bill were examined by the Chamber of Commerce and Manufacturers Association to protect employers who follow proper hiring procedures but also hold employers accountable who are knowingly hiring undocumented immigrants.—
Alexandra Kukulka,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Feb. 2026
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One of the more striking findings came from examining individual brain regions.—
Rachael Seidler,
The Conversation,
11 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Debrief.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debrief. Accessed 18 Feb. 2026.
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