1
as in garbage
discarded or useless material
the unsightly debris left after mining operations had ceased
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in rubble
the portion or bits of something left over or behind after it has been destroyed
the demolition workers cleared away all of the debris from the demolished building
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 debris
Less than two minutes into the burn, the motor's exhaust nozzle violently shattered into countless shards of debris.
—
ArsTechnica, 26 June 2025
It's got a three-liter dust bag that can hold debris for two months and a battery life of about 98 minutes.
—Jibin Joseph, PC Magazine, 25 June 2025
Some 2,000 residents died, and their homes and streets were preserved beneath the debris.
—Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 June 2025
More than 100 emergency personnel arrived to find a chaotic scene as hundreds of people fled from the scene, leaving behind shoes and debris in the roadway, the sheriff's office said.
—Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 23 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for debris
ArsTechnica, 26 June 2025
It's got a three-liter dust bag that can hold debris for two months and a battery life of about 98 minutes.
—Jibin Joseph, PC Magazine, 25 June 2025
Some 2,000 residents died, and their homes and streets were preserved beneath the debris.
—Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 June 2025
More than 100 emergency personnel arrived to find a chaotic scene as hundreds of people fled from the scene, leaving behind shoes and debris in the roadway, the sheriff's office said.
—Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 23 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for debris
Recent Examples of Synonyms for debris
Noun
-
In the first images of Read since her second trial, Fox News Digital exclusively captured the 45-year-old wheeling a garbage bin outside her Boston hotel.—
Michael Dorgan,
FOXNews.com,
21 June 2025
-
Seal garbage tightly in bags, and rinse out bottles and cans before placing in recycling bins.—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
18 June 2025
Noun
-
In addition to aerial attacks, a man died when Russian troops shelled the city of Kherson, and the body of a 70-year-old woman was found under the rubble of a nine-story building hit by Russian shelling in the Zaporizhzhia region.—
Volodymyr Yurchuk,
Chicago Tribune,
29 June 2025
-
Firefighters from the Philadelphia Fire Department, using a search dog, continued to sift through the rubble in the Nicetown neighborhood Sunday afternoon, looking for victims and what caused the blast, according to Daniel McCarty, the fire department's executive officer.—
Bill Hutchinson,
ABC News,
29 June 2025
Noun
-
This more comprehensive rating offers the same water resistance, but now adds protection from dust and other small particles.—
Ewan Spence,
Forbes.com,
24 June 2025
-
Then, at the end of each day, Bridges returns to his private quarters, relieves himself, and showers the dust and blood from his body.—
Simon Parkin,
The Atlantic,
23 June 2025
Noun
-
The power of the blast sent wreckage flying across the river into Mexican territory.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
27 June 2025
-
The exhibit trailer flipped end-over-end, then ripped in half, scattering flyers and lead cowboy figurines across the burning wreckage.—
Hazlitt,
Hazlitt,
18 June 2025
Noun
-
But despite the state’s best efforts to educate citizens on the importance of removing bird feeders, trash and food from yards, human-bear interactions continue to rise, showcasing a growing concern that bears are becoming less afraid of humans.—
Stephen Underwood,
Hartford Courant,
30 June 2025
-
The various entities funded bear-proof trash systems for people living in towns near the national parks and strung electric fences around tempting fruit orchards.—
Christine Peterson,
Vox,
27 June 2025
Noun
-
North Korea has responded to previous balloon campaigns with fiery rhetoric and other shows of anger, and last year the country launched its own balloons across the border, dumping rubbish on various South Korean sites, including the presidential compound.—
Hyung-Jin Kim,
Los Angeles Times,
27 June 2025
-
They were were found beneath a pile of rubbish heaped just inside her front door, according to a police report released Wednesday.—
Jessica Schladebeck,
New York Daily News,
19 June 2025
Noun
-
Every doctor who has pushed junk science on vulnerable kids should be held responsible.—
Kristen Waggoner,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 June 2025
-
Who wouldn’t want content that’s relevant to their unique interests instead of a mess of irrelevant junk?—
Andrew Luttrell,
Time,
24 June 2025
Noun
-
Trade-in value for the truck has also been a shock for some owners, after Tesla began accepting trade-ins.—
Brooke Crothers,
Forbes.com,
29 June 2025
-
That footage, shot by a bystander and obtained by ABC 7, shows federal agents in tactical vests and masks smashing the windows of a large white pickup truck before apparently pulling out a man from inside.—
Libor Jany,
Los Angeles Times,
29 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Debris.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debris. Accessed 7 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share