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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Officers located the teenager’s parents and interrogated them about the incident.—
Kimberlee Speakman,
PEOPLE,
10 Jan. 2026
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The agreement gives state troopers the ability to interrogate anyone believed to be an immigrant, arrest immigrants in certain instances, and transport immigrants to ICE.—
Shannon Tyler,
Idaho Statesman,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Fox News Digital attempted to question Block about McCuskey's statement after oral arguments for the case in the Supreme Court Tuesday, but Block walked away from the first wave of questioning to take a picture with his team and client.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
14 Jan. 2026
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Lawmakers will kick off their budget writing process by questioning both the legislative analyst and the governor’s finance staff, Gabriel said.—
Andrew Graham,
Sacbee.com,
13 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The last time those key engine mount parts were examined closely was in October 2021, and the plane wasn't due for another detailed inspection for roughly 7,000 more takeoffs and landings.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
15 Jan. 2026
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Operating at the Lower Manhattan docks, Melville’s task was to examine ship manifests against unloaded cargo.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Debrief.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debrief. Accessed 18 Jan. 2026.
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