as in interrogating
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 debriefing
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
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
Meanwhile, Charlotte’s husband is debriefing with Shaw, while obviously fudging the details of Pauly’s death.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 24 Nov. 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
Jason Meisner, Chicago Tribune, 19 Feb. 2026
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
Meanwhile, Charlotte’s husband is debriefing with Shaw, while obviously fudging the details of Pauly’s death.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 24 Nov. 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for debriefing
Verb
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Grossman succeeds in interrogating the very gaze his film is built upon, yet never fully escapes it, leaving the documentary caught between critique and complicity.—
Murtada Elfadl,
Variety,
18 Mar. 2026
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Such works treat their characters as political beings with complex lives worth interrogating.—
Jake Pitre,
The Atlantic,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Investors have been questioning whether artificial intelligence competitors and automation tools could erode demand for traditional software licenses and workflows.—
Yun Li,
CNBC,
24 Mar. 2026
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But when John's cousin Michaela (Masali Baduza) returns to London to tend to the Kilmartin estate, Fran's complicated feelings will have her questioning whether to stick to her pragmatic intentions or pursue her inner passions.—
Taijuan Moorman,
USA Today,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Our methodology To determine the best free tax software, CNBC Select analyzed more than a dozen top tax-prep companies with free tiers, examining ease of use, live support and other features.—
Brian Sloan,Dan Avery,
CNBC,
24 Mar. 2026
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That advice comes from a new review examining the links between obesity and cancer.—
Roni Robbins,
AJC.com,
23 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Debriefing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debriefing. Accessed 30 Mar. 2026.
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