1
as in garbage
discarded or useless material
the unsightly debris left after mining operations had ceased
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in rubble
the portion or bits of something left over or behind after it has been destroyed
the demolition workers cleared away all of the debris from the demolished building
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of debris
Brian, meanwhile, had been caught in the debris as the towers collapsed.
—
Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025
The charred shell of his car, motorcycle and chimney of his house and the rest of the debris still haven’t been cleaned up, persistent reminders of what was.
—Michael Slaten, Oc Register, 10 Sep. 2025
Their groves typically burn every 10 years, and vegetation and debris don’t build up to levels that feed fires of tree-killing intensity, Blom said.
—Ethan Baron, Mercury News, 10 Sep. 2025
Do not burn debris or other items during an air quality alert.
—Star-Telegram Weather Bot, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for debris
Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025
The charred shell of his car, motorcycle and chimney of his house and the rest of the debris still haven’t been cleaned up, persistent reminders of what was.
—Michael Slaten, Oc Register, 10 Sep. 2025
Their groves typically burn every 10 years, and vegetation and debris don’t build up to levels that feed fires of tree-killing intensity, Blom said.
—Ethan Baron, Mercury News, 10 Sep. 2025
Do not burn debris or other items during an air quality alert.
—Star-Telegram Weather Bot, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for debris
Recent Examples of Synonyms for debris
Noun
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People were calling it tacky, brave, MFA garbage, heart wrenching.—
Sarah Adler
September 8,
Literary Hub,
8 Sep. 2025
-
The character of Robbie, a garbage collector- turned-criminal, came to you through a suggestion from someone.—
Antonia Blyth,
Deadline,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Schools, churches, small shops that survived the devastating 2010 earthquake that killed over 300,000 are now a pile of rubble, part of the apocalyptic landscape left behind by the retreating forces that control almost all of Haiti’s capital.—
Johnny Fils-Aimé,
Miami Herald,
8 Sep. 2025
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Timur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv's military administration, said an infant's body was pulled from the rubble in the Darnytskyi district, where a four-story apartment building was damaged.—
Lidia Kelly,
USA Today,
7 Sep. 2025
Noun
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How Often To Clean Linoleum Floors For general cleaning, Marla Mock, president of Molly Maid, recommends removing dust and debris in high-traffic areas daily using a dry microfiber mop.—
Daley Quinn,
Southern Living,
7 Sep. 2025
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The dust-less quality makes litter tracking minimal and easy to clean up.—
Kayla Blanton,
PEOPLE,
7 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
More than two years of civil war in Sudan have displaced 12 million people, killed at least 150,000 (and likely far more than that), put 25 million people in danger of starvation, and left wide swaths of physical wreckage.—
Lynsey Addario,
The Atlantic,
8 Sep. 2025
-
While Good Samaritans were able to rescue five of the nine passengers from the wreckage, Angie was still inside, struggling to free herself.—
Amber Corrine,
VIBE.com,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
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By contrast, Jeffrey goes out of his way to help the employees, breaking into Mitch’s computer to change their timesheets and stealing a trash bag full of goodies to donate to the toy drive at Leigh’s church.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
7 Sep. 2025
-
The polyolefins Marks is referring to are what trash bags, plastic wrap, squeeze bottles, and other disposable single-use packaging are made of.—
Abhimanyu Ghoshal,
New Atlas,
7 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
An upholstered bench from her studio features a handmade ceramic button imprinted with textures from nearby ruins—a homage to the city on her doorstep.—
Keith Flanagan,
Architectural Digest,
11 Sep. 2025
-
During the eight-day cruise, guests will visit the terra-cotta temples in Kalna, the Nawabi palaces of Murshidabad, the Mughal gardens of Khushbagh, the haunting ruins of Gaur, and Mayapur’s sprawling Hare Krishna complex.—
Bailey Berg,
AFAR Media,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Hundreds of protesters gathered outside the police headquarters in Denpasar, Bali’s capital, on Saturday as some burned rubbish on the street and police fired tear gas into the crowd.—
Chad de Guzman,
Time,
1 Sep. 2025
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Pieces of plastic, including bottles, bags, straws and cutlery, make up two thirds of the rubbish found in rivers around the world, according to a new analysis.—
Jamie Hailstone,
Forbes.com,
16 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Now supposedly dying from some terminal illness, Julian has gone total hermit mode inside of his cluttered London apartment, where the walls are festooned with the relics of his success and the backrooms are a junk pile of painful memories.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
9 Sep. 2025
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Expect the Nationals to dispute the characterization of their ticket sales as relying on junk fees.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
9 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Debris.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debris. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.
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