as in debris
the portion or bits of something left over or behind after it has been destroyed
the dispirited family picked through the flotsam of their possessions after the hurricane, looking for anything that could be salvaged
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of flotsam
Through displaying the flotsam, Corinn Flaherty hopes to raise people’s awareness about marine pollution.
—
David Chiu, PEOPLE, 25 Nov. 2025
Without forward Jalen Johnson healthy, the Hawks failed to emerge out of the play-in tournament flotsam this past spring.
—Alex Kirschenbaum, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Oct. 2025
So the Nets basically have one year and one offseason to turn this random assortment of flotsam into a credible NBA roster.
—John Hollinger, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2025
Sure, when the pace got really fast, many of these people faded into the background and became the ride’s early flotsam and jetsam.
—Frederick Dreier, Outside, 28 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for flotsam
David Chiu, PEOPLE, 25 Nov. 2025
Without forward Jalen Johnson healthy, the Hawks failed to emerge out of the play-in tournament flotsam this past spring.
—Alex Kirschenbaum, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Oct. 2025
So the Nets basically have one year and one offseason to turn this random assortment of flotsam into a credible NBA roster.
—John Hollinger, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2025
Sure, when the pace got really fast, many of these people faded into the background and became the ride’s early flotsam and jetsam.
—Frederick Dreier, Outside, 28 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for flotsam
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flotsam
Noun
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Piles of brick debris were also seen inside hospital rooms and along an exterior wall.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
26 Mar. 2026
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One of the biggest headaches any launch with a hatch deals with is known as FOD, or foreign-object debris, which could be as small as a piece of hair trapped in the seal where the hatch closes.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
26 Mar. 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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The runway where two pilots died in a collision between a jet and a fire truck reopened Thursday morning at New York’s LaGuardia Airport, which had been operating at limited capacity all week as investigators examined the wreckage and work crews cleaned up debris.—
Philip Marcelo,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Mar. 2026
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SpaceX has been using the port for years to receive components for Starbase’s construction and wreckage from Starships that have crashed into the Gulf of Mexico.—
Brandon Lingle,
San Antonio Express-News,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
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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
“Flotsam.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flotsam. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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