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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of flotsam
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
The rest of the album is engrossing film-score flotsam.
—Jon Dolan, Rolling Stone, 19 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for flotsam
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
The rest of the album is engrossing film-score flotsam.
—Jon Dolan, Rolling Stone, 19 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for flotsam
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flotsam
Noun
-
Do not burn debris or other items during an air quality alert.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
19 Feb. 2026
-
Wash the containers in a dishwasher or by hand using hot water and dish soap to remove as much mold as possible, along with any oils or food debris on the surface.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
The Spruce,
19 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The bodies of the victims were still being dug out from under the rubble on Sunday morning, according to state media reports.—
Sophia Saifi,
CNN Money,
22 Feb. 2026
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The city still lay in ruin, filled with piles of rubble and half-destroyed buildings.—
Nicholas Lemann,
New Yorker,
21 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The driver was briefly trapped in the wreckage before emergency responders freed him, officials said.—
Darrell Smith
Updated February 20,
Sacbee.com,
20 Feb. 2026
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And the wreckage of the tankers might just be the ladder the Warriors use to climb back into the real postseason.—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
18 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Grand, crumbling ruins stand as a striking reminder that Oualidia was once a favorite place of the nation’s last Sultan, and the legacy of his beloved royal beach lingers.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
18 Feb. 2026
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Erksan was good with locations and makes fine use of the landscape here, which is appropriately dominated by the ruins of a fortress.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
16 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Flotsam.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flotsam. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
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