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
Health care workers may dip into depression and substance abuse, and Rau seeks to counter that by debriefing his staff after tragedies and encouraging them to reach out to one another.
—
Andy Sheehan, CBS News, 29 Dec. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for debrief
Andy Sheehan, CBS News, 29 Dec. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for debrief
Recent Examples of Synonyms for debrief
Verb
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As the members of the 1986 Rogers Commission interrogate the complex inner workings of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to find what, or who, was responsible for the Challenger’s doomed fate, the show explores Commission member Sally Ride’s (Stewart) personal journey.—
Joe Otterson,
Variety,
19 Mar. 2026
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As the members of the 1986 Rogers Commission interrogate the complex inner workings of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to find what, or who, was responsible for the Challenger’s doomed fate, the show explores Commission member Ride’s personal journey.—
Peter White,
Deadline,
19 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Some also questioned why a district in the heart of Silicon Valley is facing financial strain.—
Da Lin,
CBS News,
22 Mar. 2026
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Emails show that Sands questioned whether police looked at Jalloh for an unrelated stabbing homicide in June.—
Mia Cathell,
The Washington Examiner,
22 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Investigators continue to probe for answers in Sunday's deadly collision at LaGuardia Airport, as officials examine why a runway safety system failed to issue an alert before a Port Authority fire truck crashed into a landing passenger airplane.—
Minyvonne Burke,
NBC news,
25 Mar. 2026
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Rendering examines how artificial intelligence is disrupting the entertainment industry, taking you inside key battlegrounds and spotlighting change makers wielding the technology for good and ill.—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
25 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Debrief.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debrief. Accessed 28 Mar. 2026.
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