1
as in garbage
discarded or useless material
the unsightly debris left after mining operations had ceased
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
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Recent Examples of debris
Emergency services in Jamaica have begun clearing debris and assessing the damage left behind by the storm, according to online footage shared by Jamaican police showing officers gathered at scenes of destruction this morning.
—
Matt Nighswander, NBC news, 30 Oct. 2025
Be careful when handling debris that may have blown into your yard.
—Nc Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 30 Oct. 2025
The two showers are grouped together because scientists believe that both the asteroid and the comet are fragments of a single, much larger object that broke up some 20,000 years ago, leaving a collection of debris known collectively as the Encke Complex.
—Tom Hawking, Popular Science, 30 Oct. 2025
Search and rescue teams fanned out through fields of smoking debris.
—Josh Green, Time, 30 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for debris
Matt Nighswander, NBC news, 30 Oct. 2025
Be careful when handling debris that may have blown into your yard.
—Nc Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 30 Oct. 2025
The two showers are grouped together because scientists believe that both the asteroid and the comet are fragments of a single, much larger object that broke up some 20,000 years ago, leaving a collection of debris known collectively as the Encke Complex.
—Tom Hawking, Popular Science, 30 Oct. 2025
Search and rescue teams fanned out through fields of smoking debris.
—Josh Green, Time, 30 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for debris
Recent Examples of Synonyms for debris
Noun
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One officer allegedly found garbage bags inside a large freezer that were later determined to contain the remains of a female, the station reported.—
Greg Wehner,
FOXNews.com,
3 Nov. 2025
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Milivojevic, meanwhile, has benefited with garbage-time appearances over the last four games, putting up three touchdowns and zero interceptions in the process.—
Christian Romo,
Freep.com,
29 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
In Hula, Chreim's three-story house is now a pile of stone rubble and twisted iron.—
Jane Arraf,
NPR,
3 Nov. 2025
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The catastrophe, which took place about noon local time, sent one person working on a medieval tower to a hospital while another remained trapped under rubble and debris at the Torre dei Conti.—
Natalie Neysa Alund,
USA Today,
3 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Kitchens require constant cleaning, as dust and grease build up on cabinet tops.—
Lauren Bengtson,
Better Homes & Gardens,
25 Oct. 2025
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Unfortunately, curtains can gather a lot of dust, mold, or dirt if not cleaned every so often, and can lead to allergies and an unhygienic home.—
Daley Quinn,
Southern Living,
25 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Video from the scene showed smoke rising from the wreckage as Ramesh stumbled away with minor visible injuries.—
Greg Wehner,
FOXNews.com,
3 Nov. 2025
-
So, Senate Democrats put an alternative on the table 12 days before September 30 that fixed the health care wreckage that the Republicans caused and that ensured that a deal would be honored, both by Congress and the White House.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
2 Nov. 2025
Noun
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In the middle of his struggle, according to several people who were seated courtside, a fan started talking some serious trash.—
Jon Krawczynski,
New York Times,
2 Nov. 2025
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While disposals, drains, trash bins, and dishwashers are some of the most likely culprits, your walls and other surfaces could be a source of lingering odors, too.—
Patricia Shannon,
Southern Living,
2 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Once the skis come off, fill your days with excursions to castle ruins, thermal baths, and snowshoeing trails.—
Chadner Navarro,
Vogue,
30 Oct. 2025
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In the end, their misfortune might ultimately present an opportunity to search among the ruins for a trace of dignity and grace.—
Christopher Vourlias,
Variety,
30 Oct. 2025
Noun
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One hurdle for these editors is that far-right hate is more conducive to digital slop, both because algorithms prize outlandish ragebait and because the tribalistic ideas themselves are low IQ rubbish.—
Kieran Press-Reynolds,
Pitchfork,
24 Oct. 2025
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This was due to the incredible amount of rubbish that had been left to pile up inside.—
Jack Beresford,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Oct. 2025
Noun
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While the rental housing industry has said that many of these rules are already best practices, Elo-Rivera said that such reassurance is not helpful to the tenants who do get hit by junk fees and other charges on top of their rent.—
Phillip Molnar,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
29 Oct. 2025
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Even small pieces of space junk (for example, leftover or broken pieces from space launches or nonfunctioning satellites) can have catastrophic effects.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Debris.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debris. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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