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
The story moves between the present, where Agathe and Vera go through the detritus of their childhood lives, and the past, as Agathe conjures memories from her childhood, bringing incidents to mind for inspection and some measure of self-recrimination.
—
John Warner, Chicago Tribune, 4 Apr. 2026
Picnic detritus surrounds our little camp, and my two boys are wrestling not far away.
—Big Think, 31 Mar. 2026
The sun shines on the empty wine bottles and related detritus of last night’s debauched party.
—Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 24 Mar. 2026
The area wasn’t all detritus, though.
—Holden Seidlitz, New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for detritus
John Warner, Chicago Tribune, 4 Apr. 2026
Picnic detritus surrounds our little camp, and my two boys are wrestling not far away.
—Big Think, 31 Mar. 2026
The sun shines on the empty wine bottles and related detritus of last night’s debauched party.
—Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 24 Mar. 2026
The area wasn’t all detritus, though.
—Holden Seidlitz, New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for detritus
Recent Examples of Synonyms for detritus
Noun
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Drone debris also fell on a roof of a residential building in the city of Samara, wounding a number of people, Fedorishchev said.—
Hanna Arhirova,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Apr. 2026
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Do not burn debris or other items during an air quality alert.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Her body was only retrieved from the rubble hours later, rescue workers said.—
Sean Nevin,
NBC news,
24 Apr. 2026
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The kids who were rescued from the rubble at Briarwood now are in their late teens and early 20s.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Volunteers with Fetch Foster Rescue mobilized to track down cats, dogs and other animals left stranded, separated from their owners or trapped in the wreckage.—
Samantha Agate,
Miami Herald,
23 Apr. 2026
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Crews reopened some lanes to traffic until the wreckage could be towed.—
Karen Kucher,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
21 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Mak’s wife, Kit Chan, 74, likened their home to ruins.—
Kanis Leung,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Apr. 2026
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Drone video shows the southern Lebanese town of Bint Jbeil in ruins following the Israel Defense Force's strikes on the area.—
Will Clark,
NBC news,
20 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Detritus.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detritus. Accessed 26 Apr. 2026.
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