Thesaurus results for FLOTSAM

flotsam

noun

ˈflät-səm

Definition of flotsam

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

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 flotsam Here in the famous Festival Theatre, the sprite Ariel, played in splendidly sprightly fashion by Marissa Orjalo, opens up the top of a piano, a piece of island flotsam and Prospero, in the form of the veteran actor Geraint Wyn Davies, shoves his coat inside, throws up his hands and closes the lid. — Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 26 June 2026 The writer thinks that the person seducing the main character is just some flotsam, hardly worth a second look. — Literary Hub, 26 June 2026 Crews remain onsite 24/7, monitoring the dam's condition and clearing flotsam from its gates. — CBS News, 24 Apr. 2026 There’s a lot of trivia and bits and bobs of flotsam that get in there. — Nick Hilden, Rolling Stone, 24 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for flotsam

Recent Examples of Synonyms for flotsam

Noun

The crash, which occurred in a flat stretch surrounded by olive fields in between the towns of Urda and Los Yébenes, left carriages shredded into bits of metal and other material, scattering debris down a gravel slope.

— JOSEPH WILSON, Arkansas Online, 29 Oct. 2026
This clarifying toner exfoliates skin to gently remove debris and dead skin cells, while rosemary, aloe, and chamomile extract soften and soothe.

— Lauren Valenti, Vogue, 29 Oct. 2026

Definition of debris

Noun

Greg Hernandez separates materials from a pile of rubble during the teardown of the Cabrini-Green projects at 1157 and 1159 Cleveland Ave.

— Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 27 Oct. 2026
Rescue operations are underway as there are reports that people may be trapped under the rubble.

— ABC News, ABC News, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of rubble

Noun

Rescue workers searched the wreckage through the day for survivors and bodies.

— JOSEPH WILSON, Arkansas Online, 29 Oct. 2026
Second fatal train crash this year The wreckage of Wednesday’s crash reminded many of the aftermath of another train collision in January, when 46 people died in southern Spain when an IRYO train jumped the track and hit an oncoming RENFE train.

— Joseph Wilson, Los Angeles Times, 28 Oct. 2026

Definition of wreckage

Noun

The board heard two days of testimony from Weisheit, lawyers, the children’s parents and first responders who were at an Evansville home in 2010 when the bodies of 8-year-old Alyssa Lynch and 5-year-old Caleb Lynch were recovered in the fire ruins.

— ABC News, ABC News, 28 Oct. 2026
The board heard two days of testimony from Weisheit, lawyers, the children's parents and first responders who were at an Evansville home in 2010 when the bodies of 8-year-old Alyssa Lynch and 5-year-old Caleb Lynch were recovered in the fire ruins.

— CBS News, CBS News, 28 Oct. 2026

Definition of ruins

Browse Nearby Words

flotillas

flotsam

flounce

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“Flotsam.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flotsam. Accessed 2 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of flotsam

noun

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