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
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
Chapman, who worked long hours debriefing Marquez over the years and shepherded his grand jury testimony, grew emotional while talking about Marquez’s qualities as a wonky engineer who could talk endlessly about the inner workings of the ComEd’s electrical grid.
—Jason Meisner, Chicago Tribune, 19 Feb. 2026
Editor Joyce Eng discuss the new name for the SAG Awards, the Actor Awards, and Gerrad debriefs on the Governors Awards.
—Gerrad Hall, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for debrief
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
Chapman, who worked long hours debriefing Marquez over the years and shepherded his grand jury testimony, grew emotional while talking about Marquez’s qualities as a wonky engineer who could talk endlessly about the inner workings of the ComEd’s electrical grid.
—Jason Meisner, Chicago Tribune, 19 Feb. 2026
Editor Joyce Eng discuss the new name for the SAG Awards, the Actor Awards, and Gerrad debriefs on the Governors Awards.
—Gerrad Hall, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for debrief
Recent Examples of Synonyms for debrief
Verb
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The resource officer allegedly interrogated CFR without a parent present, violating his rights, the suit says.—
Kendrick Calfee,
Kansas City Star,
22 May 2026
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Finally, interrogate your own expectations.—
Hanna Wickes,
Miami Herald,
22 May 2026
Verb
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Even Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy questioned the idea.—
Josh Funk,
Los Angeles Times,
24 May 2026
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While he was diagnosed with retrograde amnesia, which causes someone to lose memories before an event such as a brain injury, trauma or illness, Shannon’s husband, Eric Evangelista, began to question his diagnosis.—
Stephanie Nolasco,
FOXNews.com,
23 May 2026
Verb
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This story from breaking news reporter Marlene Lenthang examines the feelings of Latino vendors in and around SoFi Stadium in Inglewood amid the possibility of ICE agents working games — a gamble between their safety and a potentially lucrative payday.—
Elizabeth Robinson,
NBC news,
20 May 2026
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Born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in 1970, Mehretu’s painting, drawing, and printmaking practice examines the nature of contemporary existence through the relationships between geometric abstraction, figuration, and scale.—
Lilyanna D'Amato,
ARTnews.com,
20 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Debrief.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debrief. Accessed 25 May. 2026.
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