detritus

noun

di-ˈtrī-təs How to pronounce detritus (audio)
Definition of detritusnext
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 Its outer space is filled with cosmic detritus, mean characters and cute critters. — ABC News, 24 June 2026 Despite those efforts, the pool still faced algae blooms and needed to be emptied out periodically to clean out algae, goose droppings and other detritus. — Joe Walsh, CBS News, 19 June 2026 Preparations have been underway for nearly a year — out of public view — as the development team Centennial Partners cleared furniture, fixtures and detritus from the 19-story building that ceased to function as a hospital in 2008. — Los Angeles Times, 12 June 2026 There, Li’s laboratory technician Duncan Hauser stripped microbial detritus from the hornwort’s leaves. — Quanta Magazine, 10 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for detritus
Recent Examples of Synonyms for detritus
  1. debris
  2. rubble
  3. wreckage
  4. ruins
Noun
  • Try to find a place that will block blowing or falling debris.
    — CA Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 16 July 2026
  • The largest of the debris aprons covers 50 square miles (130 square kilometers), which would be large enough to bury a small city or a large town.
    — Keith Cooper, Space.com, 16 July 2026
Definition of debris
Noun
  • On Saturday, rescue crews aided by dogs and detectors found signs of life, confirming that at least one survivor was still trapped beneath the rubble.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 19 July 2026
  • There are heart-wrenching reports of people trying to dig survivors out of the rubble with their hands, with dozens of children suffering amputations because they could not be reached in time.
    — Mark Weisbrot, Twin Cities, 19 July 2026
Definition of rubble
Noun
  • Video from the Uganda Red Cross showed bodies of victims in and around the wreckage as people arrived to help following the nighttime crash.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 17 July 2026
  • The 51-year-old driver was freed from the wreckage and taken to a hospital.
    — Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 17 July 2026
Definition of wreckage
Noun
  • Nirim, the kibbutz settlement from which the Israeli soldiers who ploughed the border line arrived, was built on the ruins of al-Ma‘in.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 July 2026
  • The walls of Jerusalem lay in ruins – broken down, exposed, and vulnerable.
    — Liesl Ehmke, Christian Science Monitor, 15 July 2026
Definition of ruins

Browse Nearby Words

detriments
detritus
de trop
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Cite this Entry

“Detritus.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detritus. Accessed 22 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on detritus

Nglish: Translation of detritus for Spanish Speakers

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