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
If there were concerns about response to the situation, Richardson said there should have been a meeting to debrief those involved and discuss what could be done better in the future.
—
Jim Woods, Chicago Tribune, 28 June 2025
Christian Walker dressed, dwelled and debriefed there for the first 49 games of his Astros tenure.
—Chandler Rome, New York Times, 25 May 2025
Models, editors, and movie stars slid into plush banquettes to debrief the evening.
—Ian Malone, Vogue, 6 May 2025
Bobby Moynihan and Bryant play government officials debriefing the three citizens, but a troubling pattern soon emerges in their answers.
—Erin Strecker, IndieWire, 13 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for debrief
Jim Woods, Chicago Tribune, 28 June 2025
Christian Walker dressed, dwelled and debriefed there for the first 49 games of his Astros tenure.
—Chandler Rome, New York Times, 25 May 2025
Models, editors, and movie stars slid into plush banquettes to debrief the evening.
—Ian Malone, Vogue, 6 May 2025
Bobby Moynihan and Bryant play government officials debriefing the three citizens, but a troubling pattern soon emerges in their answers.
—Erin Strecker, IndieWire, 13 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for debrief
Recent Examples of Synonyms for debrief
Verb
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The lawsuit alleges that in recent months, ICE agents have been accompanying personnel from the Office of Refugee Resettlement during routine meetings with children and seeking to interrogate them without an attorney present.—
Alex Riggins,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
6 Sep. 2025
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Participation alone seems to be the end goal, the assemblage of a cacophony of voices without any avenues to interrogate the way power is shared or negotiated in collective spaces.—
Kate Wagner,
Curbed,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Comer has questioned the former president’s use of the autopen for pardons and executive orders and whether his aides covered up his cognitive decline.—
Lauren Green,
The Washington Examiner,
9 Sep. 2025
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Attorneys will question three sets of 60 people to settle on twelve jurors and four alternates.—
Peter Charalambous,
ABC News,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Immediately after the ball landed, Boone emerged from the dugout and asked crew chief Adrian Johnson to examine the bat.—
Brendan Kuty,
New York Times,
5 Sep. 2025
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Mayoral race spotlights local option taxes The City Council authorized a $200,000 contract with the Citizens Research Council of Michigan earlier this year to examine the feasibility of local option taxes.—
Malachi Barrett,
Freep.com,
5 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Debrief.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debrief. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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