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.
Related Words
Relevance
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
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
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
-
Moreover, sociology is one of the best empirical fields for interrogating the consequences of different values, for how ideas get built into institutions, for how social networks operate across domains.—
Wendy Nelson Espeland,
Mercury News,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Other major Jewish groups that conduct population surveys have in the past typically avoided closely interrogating Jewish opinions about Zionism.—
Andrew Lapin,
Sun Sentinel,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Public speakers echoed those concerns, questioning the district’s transparency and warning that additional reductions would further strain school communities.—
Teresa Liu,
Daily News,
18 Feb. 2026
-
Now, members of Congress have another shot at questioning Wexner, who is 88 years old.—
Curt Devine,
CNN Money,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
As a rule, examining Polish posters of this ilk, and trying to guess which films are being publicized, is a deliciously difficult sport.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
16 Feb. 2026
-
The Dallas Morning News is launching a reader survey as part of a project examining how affordable parenthood is in North Texas — and where families feel the biggest strain.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
16 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Debriefing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debriefing. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
