as in debris
the portion or bits of something left over or behind after it has been destroyed
the expanse of tree stumps represented the detritus of a vast forest that had been mercilessly clear-cut
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of detritus
Like any society, forests are subject to periods of heated convulsion that strip away the detritus of the past while laying the groundwork for the future.
—
New York Times, 16 Mar. 2026
One can imagine her trawling modular-synthesis Discord servers late into the night, or scavenging the digital outlands for post-dubstep detritus.
—Walden Green, Pitchfork, 13 Mar. 2026
Many of us expected a great contextualizing flood of plays and films about isolation and lockdowns and Zooms and the other detritus of the era.
—Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 3 Mar. 2026
Mattresses and questionably clean bedding were dredged up, dusty couches cleared of detritus.
—Literary Hub, 13 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for detritus
New York Times, 16 Mar. 2026
One can imagine her trawling modular-synthesis Discord servers late into the night, or scavenging the digital outlands for post-dubstep detritus.
—Walden Green, Pitchfork, 13 Mar. 2026
Many of us expected a great contextualizing flood of plays and films about isolation and lockdowns and Zooms and the other detritus of the era.
—Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 3 Mar. 2026
Mattresses and questionably clean bedding were dredged up, dusty couches cleared of detritus.
—Literary Hub, 13 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for detritus
Recent Examples of Synonyms for detritus
Noun
-
Try to find a place that will block blowing or falling debris.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
2 Apr. 2026
-
One social media video taken from along a highway near the barracks showed the aftermath of the strike, with pieces of fiery debris scattered along the mountain range housing the barracks.—
Kevin Collier,
NBC news,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Satellite images indicate that the Iranians subsequently broke through the rubble to open the tunnel entrances, perhaps to gain access to the nuclear materials.—
Sheena Samu,
CBS News,
27 Mar. 2026
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Meanwhile in Tehran, rescue workers were combing through rubble Friday morning trying to find survivors after overnight strikes there.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Iranian officials told civilians to be on the lookout for survivors and have flooded social media with images that purport to show wreckage from the aircraft.—
Janet Loehrke,
USA Today,
4 Apr. 2026
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The vehicle smashed through barricades and concrete, racing down a hallway before becoming lodged in the twisted wreckage.—
Gayle Pearlstein,
The Washington Examiner,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
During his visit, Willick had gone to the site of the attack and surveyed the ruins, which were strewn with children’s drawings and broken crayons.—
Eyal Press,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
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With Walker Monfort in charge, president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta and GM Josh Byrnes have been entrusted to excavate the Rockies from the ruins.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
27 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Detritus.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detritus. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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