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
Multiple aircraft, cutters and small boats searched 1,047 square miles over 24 hours, finding debris near the location where the EPIRB was activated, along with one body and an unoccupied life raft that had been deployed.
—
Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 4 Feb. 2026
Increase cleaning frequency for high-touch surfaces and floors to reduce germs and remove tracked-in dirt and debris.
—Katie Cloyd, Martha Stewart, 4 Feb. 2026
In their natural habitat outdoors, termites and carpenter ants are beneficial, recycling woody debris and returning nutrients to the soil.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 4 Feb. 2026
Police said the bystander was a man who was struck by debris from the collision and sustained non-life-threatening injuries.
—City News Service, Daily News, 4 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for debris
Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 4 Feb. 2026
Increase cleaning frequency for high-touch surfaces and floors to reduce germs and remove tracked-in dirt and debris.
—Katie Cloyd, Martha Stewart, 4 Feb. 2026
In their natural habitat outdoors, termites and carpenter ants are beneficial, recycling woody debris and returning nutrients to the soil.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 4 Feb. 2026
Police said the bystander was a man who was struck by debris from the collision and sustained non-life-threatening injuries.
—City News Service, Daily News, 4 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for debris
Recent Examples of Synonyms for debris
Noun
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And the magic elixir is able to turn garbage into Jan Ravnik, Swift's pinup backup dancer.—
Bryan West,
USA Today,
6 Feb. 2026
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Every winter, construction machines work around the clock to clear tons of garbage — plastic, furniture, medical waste — clogging the Drina River.—
Eldar Emric,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The ceasefire also called for an immediate influx of humanitarian aid, including equipment to clear rubble and rehabilitate infrastructure.—
Sam Metz,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Feb. 2026
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However, state regulators don't trust those results because some of the rubble is blocked from being tested.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Perfect for lounging around the house, walking the dog, taking out the trash, or wearing to the movie theater, this platform clog is an indoor slipper with a durable outsole sturdy enough for outdoor use.—
Mariana Best,
Better Homes & Gardens,
6 Feb. 2026
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Place the racks in a large, heavy-duty black plastic trash bag and spray them liberally with undiluted vinegar.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
The Spruce,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
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But this town is teetering between the wreckage and the recovery.—
Rob Picheta,
CNN Money,
7 Feb. 2026
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First identified from wreckage recovered near Kyiv and Dnipro in early January, the drone points to a quiet but important shift in how Moscow is thinking about long-range strike and air-defense saturation.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
4 Feb. 2026
Noun
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How Often To Clean Linoleum Floors For general cleaning, Marla Mock, president of Molly Maid, recommends removing dust and debris in high-traffic areas daily using a dry microfiber mop.—
Daley Quinn,
Southern Living,
8 Feb. 2026
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Simply take a soft cloth with a mild cleaner and give them a wipe—both to remove dust and grime, and to clear off any lingering germs that might hop from person to person.—
Ashley Chalmers,
The Spruce,
8 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The ruins were recently found at Island Beach State Park, a narrow barrier island along the Jersey Shore in Ocean County.—
Andrea Margolis,
FOXNews.com,
31 Jan. 2026
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In a nation lacking Roman ruins or Mesoamerican pyramids, the antebellum mansions of the Old South play a nearly perfect substitute.—
Joe Sills,
Forbes.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Piles of human scraps offer a bottomless buffet to wildlife, and to access that bounty, animals need to be bold enough to rummage through human rubbish but not so bold as to become a threat to people.—
Marina Wang,
Scientific American,
14 Nov. 2025
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Helga once wrestled down a drunk fisherman in the Café, a man of above-average size, and then threw him out like a piece of rubbish; Jens thus transfers most of his weight automatically to her; who is this kid, by the way?—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Most of that toxic junk was never found, Fernando added.—
Tereza Pultarova,
Space.com,
24 Jan. 2026
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There’s so much junk in Eggleston’s pictures.—
Hilton Als,
New Yorker,
24 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Debris.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debris. Accessed 10 Feb. 2026.
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