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
First, use a microfiber cloth to wipe away any dust and debris, then spritz each lens once with the lens spray.
—
Claire Hoppe Norgaard, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 Feb. 2026
Flowers and debris go flying as the vehicle then smashes head-on into a tree.
—Los Angeles Times, 25 Feb. 2026
After the flames were extinguished, crews found a person dead under the debris, according to officials.
—Jt Moodee Lockman, CBS News, 25 Feb. 2026
This silicone brush offers more than 7,000 vibrations per minute to remove dirt, oil, and other debris from deep inside your pores.
—Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 25 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for debris
Claire Hoppe Norgaard, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 Feb. 2026
Flowers and debris go flying as the vehicle then smashes head-on into a tree.
—Los Angeles Times, 25 Feb. 2026
After the flames were extinguished, crews found a person dead under the debris, according to officials.
—Jt Moodee Lockman, CBS News, 25 Feb. 2026
This silicone brush offers more than 7,000 vibrations per minute to remove dirt, oil, and other debris from deep inside your pores.
—Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 25 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for debris
Recent Examples of Synonyms for debris
Noun
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In the early days, Romanucci and Blandin started in a small office with a card table and a plastic bag for the garbage.—
Gregory Royal Pratt,
Chicago Tribune,
1 Mar. 2026
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Grant Nelson, signed to a 10-day contract earlier in the afternoon, saw garbage minutes late alongside Wolf, Ben Saraf, Jalen Wilson and Ochai Agbaji.—
C.J. Holmes,
New York Daily News,
28 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Since then residents of Cincinnati's sister city in Ukraine have been bombed, killed and watched parts of their city turn to rubble.—
Gillian Stawiszynski,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
28 Feb. 2026
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Eversource crews were on hand on Thursday assessing the property and digging through rubble.—
Mike Sullivan,
CBS News,
27 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The language allowed trash-taking sugar critics to be hauled into court, not only for dissing sugar, but for dissing how it is grown.—
Pat Beall,
Sun Sentinel,
27 Feb. 2026
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According to the report, officers responded to a dispatch call describing Petit as a transient carrying a gun and lighting trash on fire in a residential neighborhood.—
Andrea Klick,
Daily News,
27 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The wreckage caused a fuel leak and hazmat crews responded before the lanes reopened hours later.—
Liz Crawford,
CBS News,
25 Feb. 2026
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Rescuers reached the accident site soon after the accident, and the injured were pulled out of the wreckage and driven to hospitals for treatment, according to government administrator Mohan Prasad Neupane.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
23 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Over time, that greasy film that settles on your wood cabinets can trap dirt and dust, making the buildup hard to remove.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
1 Mar. 2026
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Eleven years later, Ajo resident Bill Eltzroth complained to the county and ADEQ that the facility’s operations coated his back porch in thick black dust.—
Sarah Henry,
AZCentral.com,
1 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Russian soldiers are constantly attempting to slip into the city's ruins unnoticed in small groups, Ukrainians who spoke to ABC News said.—
David Brennan,
ABC News,
24 Feb. 2026
-
Some aluminum frames of his own design held large-format prints of urban ruins and renewal.—
Nick Paumgarten,
New Yorker,
23 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
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
-
Furthermore, a study conducted by Emily White in December found that 32% of respondents who were taking part in the iPod’s revival were Gen Z — meaning this isn’t purely a nostalgia play by older millennials digging through junk drawers.—
Ryan Brennan,
Kansas City Star,
23 Feb. 2026
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Her young daughter loves being in the shop too, watching her mom transform cars from junk into treasure.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Debris.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debris. Accessed 2 Mar. 2026.
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