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
The Owl sensor is designed to detect, track and characterize objects in orbit — including satellites, debris and other space flotsam — from long distances to support SDA initiatives.
—
Josh Dinner, Space.com, 25 July 2025
Your business isn’t a piece of flotsam driven by random forces.
—Meredith Moore, Forbes.com, 4 June 2025
On the other, random pieces of informational flotsam were elevated to the status of genuine facts only once they were vetted by credentialled people with special access to the truth.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 28 May 2025
Saleem’s is a life worth thinking about, more than flotsam tossed by history.
—Emily Temple
may 27, Literary Hub, 27 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for flotsam
Josh Dinner, Space.com, 25 July 2025
Your business isn’t a piece of flotsam driven by random forces.
—Meredith Moore, Forbes.com, 4 June 2025
On the other, random pieces of informational flotsam were elevated to the status of genuine facts only once they were vetted by credentialled people with special access to the truth.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 28 May 2025
Saleem’s is a life worth thinking about, more than flotsam tossed by history.
—Emily Temple
may 27, Literary Hub, 27 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for flotsam
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flotsam
Noun
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Be careful when handling debris that may have blown into your yard.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
2 Oct. 2025
-
Do not burn debris or other items during an air quality alert.—
STAR-TELEGRAM WEATHER BOT,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
2 Oct. 2025
Noun
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In the village outside Lviv where the family members were killed, rescue workers dug through heaps of rubble.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
5 Oct. 2025
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Although efforts continue, emergency responders say their mission has shifted from rescue to recovery after using thermal drones and other tools to search for anyone who might still be alive underneath the rubble, The New York Times reported.—
Jillian Frankel,
PEOPLE,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
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There was wreckage everywhere in the immediate moments that followed a crushing 4-3 loss that will cast doubt on everything the Phillies have built here.—
Matt Gelb,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
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Firefighters removed Pelin from the elevator wreckage before transporting her to a local hospital for treatment, where she was pronounced dead.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
PEOPLE,
4 Oct. 2025
Noun
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But on that record, even the happiest songs had a kind of love-among-the-ruins feel, where the romanticism seemed hard-fought.—
Liz Schubauer,
USA Today,
3 Oct. 2025
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The colt doesn’t know the racetrack he was bred for – the pride of Ruidoso – lies in ruins for the second year running, gutted by floodwaters that turned familiar dirt into a sucking bog of mud.—
Alaa Elassar,
CNN Money,
1 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Flotsam.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flotsam. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.
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