debriefing

present participle of debrief
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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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of debriefing The final clip features Knoxville and Tremaine sitting on a motel bed, debriefing after a particularly dangerous stunt. — T.m. Brown, CNN Money, 26 June 2026 Since making their water landing, the three Americans and one Canadian who set out on the lunar journey have been busy, spending recent weeks reuniting with family, debriefing the mission and making media appearances – all while adapting to life back on Earth. — Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 29 Apr. 2026 Apart from debriefing after the trip to the winery, this was a big episode for dates. — Tom Smyth, Vulture, 13 Apr. 2026 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 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
  • The second part, though, is that AI provides opportunities for CEOs to have a virtual board of directors, a new person on the team, and a way of interrogating their own thinking which may reduce the loneliness of being a CEO.
    — Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Brittin has spent his early months in the job interrogating whether the broadcaster’s output is properly meeting audience needs and is said to be clear-eyed about shifting resources away from services that are dwindling in influence.
    — Jake Kanter, Deadline, 23 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • In her rebuttal, prosecutor Shanan Buckingham said that this is the first time the court is hearing that Reddington is questioning the evidence.
    — Kristina Rex, CBS News, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Designers revisited the skirt, the jacket, the cargo, the biker jacket; questioning their traditional codes and exploring how they can be worn today.
    — Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 28 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • The death in a helicopter crash of Zimbabwean businessman Wicknell Chivayo, his wife and three others has reverberated across government and industry circles on the continent, as investigators began examining what caused the aircraft to go down.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Spacebound nuclear power The center plans to release a report in early 2027 examining how Canada could expand its position in space isotope production.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 2 Oct. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Debriefing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debriefing. Accessed 6 Oct. 2026.

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