as in interrogated
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 debriefed
The 14 Russian survivors were brought ashore in the port city of Cartagena, where they were debriefed by Spanish police and investigators.
—
Pau Mosquera,
CNN Money,
12 May 2026
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
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
Pau Mosquera,
CNN Money,
12 May 2026
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for debriefed
Verb
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Information still needs to be interrogated, narratives stress-tested and probabilities translated into exposure limits.
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While Europeans at Ellis Island did face medical inspections and some were even detained, Asians and Pacific Islanders at Angel Island were especially not welcomed; because of anti-Chinese exclusion laws, they instead were inspected, interrogated and detained in prison-like conditions.
Verb
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Riff questioned Hochman on Thursday about what legal grounds a judge had to halt a payout that the five county supervisors wanted to move forward despite the fraud allegations that first came to light in October.
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Tangipa also questioned how districts would verify eligibility while protecting employee privacy.
Verb
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In addition to the autopsy, Burris said Martin’s brain was immediately sent to be examined posthumously for chronic traumatic encephalopathy, which can affect regions of the brain involved with regulating behavior and emotions and is linked to contact sports such as football.
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Link to earlier discovery The new findings come less than a year after Perseverance examined a rock called Cheyava Falls, which scientists described as one of the most intriguing samples collected on Mars.
Cite this Entry
“Debriefed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debriefed. Accessed 28 Jun. 2026.
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