Thesaurus results for DETRITUS

detritus

noun

di-ˈtrī-təs

Definition of detritus

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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of detritus The past is not so much foreign as free, free to anyone who is willing to do the work, to enter the past with a spirit of curiosity and a willingness to conjure a living world out of the detritus that history leaves behind. — Literary Hub, 27 Aug. 2026 Still, even with Ellison’s $111 billion WBD takeover plan under threat from a state attorneys general antitrust suit, $4 million and change is sofa detritus to the son of Larry Ellison. — Dominic Patten, Deadline, 21 Aug. 2026 This is where the Sora 70's surface-cleaning functionality came in handy, filling the filter basket with every floating bit of detritus and leaving the pool looking as if there had been no storm at all. — John Mihaly, PC Magazine, 17 Aug. 2026 The dirty sea near the city often carried this kind of detritus to the shore. — Cynthia Zarin, Harpers Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for detritus

Recent Examples of Synonyms for detritus

Noun

Avon Street remains closed from Merriman to Niagara Street as crews clear the roadway of debris.

— Elle Meyers, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026
However, throwing it back over the fence could create another dispute, particularly if doing so amounts to dumping debris on your neighbor’s property.

— Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of debris

Noun

Hours later, a group of rescuers in hard hats were using poles stripped from trees to poke at the huge pile of rubble.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 24 Oct. 2026
Some opening day effects are long gone, such as the illusion created by actual shifting doors at the start of the attraction, or visions of tumbling rubble near its beginning.

— Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of rubble

Noun

What remained was wreckage — twisted metal, pieces of the balloon — and the smell of something burned.

— Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 21 Oct. 2026
The wreckage of a McLaren 720S involved in a deadly crash that killed two people in Irvine spontaneously ignited and caught fire last week inside a secure facility, Irvine police said in a statement.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of wreckage

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detriments

detritus

de trop

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“Detritus.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detritus. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of detritus

noun

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