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
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Recent Examples of debris
Flooding reveals 100-million-year-old footprints A volunteer found the dinosaur tracks while removing debris in central Texas.
—
Jade Walker, CNN Money, 11 Aug. 2025
Start with a thorough vacuuming using a clean upholstery attachment to remove dust, hair, and other debris from the mattress surface.
—Daley Quinn, Southern Living, 11 Aug. 2025
Heavy machinery was used for the fire to remove debris.
—Chevall Pryce, Baltimore Sun, 10 Aug. 2025
The Perseid meteor shower is caused by the Earth travelling through the debris left by comet Swift-Tuttle.
—Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for debris
Jade Walker, CNN Money, 11 Aug. 2025
Start with a thorough vacuuming using a clean upholstery attachment to remove dust, hair, and other debris from the mattress surface.
—Daley Quinn, Southern Living, 11 Aug. 2025
Heavy machinery was used for the fire to remove debris.
—Chevall Pryce, Baltimore Sun, 10 Aug. 2025
The Perseid meteor shower is caused by the Earth travelling through the debris left by comet Swift-Tuttle.
—Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for debris
Recent Examples of Synonyms for debris
Noun
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New York City has already begun working with neighborhood groups and activating organizations who sign up to be notified before a big rain to clean debris like falling leaves and garbage from the sewer drains in their community.—
Amy Chester,
New York Daily News,
6 Aug. 2025
-
Check garbage collection schedules in Ohio Ohio's bigger cities won't see garbage trucks on Labor Day.—
Mariyam Muhammad,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
4 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Nineteen people were killed, and more than 4,400 homes were reduced to ash and toxic rubble.—
Jill Cowan,
New York Times,
19 Aug. 2025
-
By 1984, with help from Genevieve Brooks’s organization, families were moving into ranch houses on the former rubble field where Carter had once stood—wildflowers blooming in the burn scar.—
Daniel Immerwahr,
New Yorker,
18 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
The Hubble observations show that 3I/ATLAS' nucleus is shrouded by a coma made from small particles of dust that have been lifted off the interstellar comet's surface.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
8 Aug. 2025
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This unit is used to measure the fine particulate matter in the air, such as smoke, dust, soot or dirt.—
Sarah Moore,
Freep.com,
7 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Creating the aftermath of Maginot’s wreckage in Prodigy City was another feat.—
Daron James,
IndieWire,
13 Aug. 2025
-
Five other people, all in a third vehicle, were hospitalized with minor injuries and the fourth driver walked away from the wreckage and was treated at the scene.—
Andrea Klick,
Oc Register,
5 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Help came in the form of a shy, 15-year-old named Justin Vannelli who, on the third day of her entombment, was picking up trash along the interstate.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
15 Aug. 2025
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The property was littered with garbage during visits this week, with food waste piled around trash bins rotting in the heat.—
Michael Cuglietta,
The Orlando Sentinel,
15 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
The new law also applies to vehicles used to transport garbage, rubbish, trash or debris.—
Mary Murphy,
Twin Cities,
30 July 2025
-
When the house was done being used, ancient people cut a hole through the floor and dug the pit, then filled it with domestic rubbish.—
Irene Wright,
Miami Herald,
9 June 2025
Noun
-
Very quickly, Gilman became a matchmaker of necessities, contacting people in construction, plumbing, junk removal and more.—
Natalie Eilbert,
jsonline.com,
15 Aug. 2025
-
After that, Seattle sent the ordinance to the junk yard.—
The Editorial Board,
Oc Register,
7 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Officers arrived to find one of the vehicles, a truck, overturned.—
Jason Green,
Mercury News,
16 Aug. 2025
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As the truck was coming to a stop, a passenger in the front seat got out and ran from the vehicle, which stopped a short distance later.—
Lillie Davidson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
16 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Debris.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debris. Accessed 22 Aug. 2025.
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