DEBRIS Synonyms: 68 Similar and Opposite Words

debris

noun

də-ˈbrē

Definition of debris

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

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

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 debris Rescue operations and clean-up crews are still working in the wake of last week’s devastating debris avalanche and floods in Nepal and Tibet. — Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 2 Sep. 2026 Over the course of several years, logs and woody debris could have accumulated in this area, Gammer explained, forming a sort of raft on which trees can grow — and embark on naval expeditions, apparently. — Frank Landymore, Futurism, 2 Sep. 2026 Chinese surveillance footage from the Tibetan side of the border shows a huge wall of mud and debris crashing over buildings and engulfing roads as people desperately try to flee the torrent. — Diaa Hadid, NPR, 27 Aug. 2026 An ice and rock avalanche from a high-altitude glacier may have triggered the flooding, with a large volume of debris entering the Lende Khola tributary, researchers have said in a preliminary assessment. — Josh Feldman, NBC news, 27 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for debris

Recent Examples of Synonyms for debris

Noun

The government still has not come up with a solution to the mountainous piles of rotting garbage that accumulate on the streets for months.

— Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 31 Aug. 2026
One of the nurses tried to cover up the error by fishing the empty bottle of the muscle relaxant out of the garbage and taking it home.

— Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of garbage

Noun

This seven-year-old girl pulled from the rubble after rescue workers heard her cries.

— ABC News, ABC News, 30 Aug. 2026
Other than that, he’s never seemed confident that the future will turn out all right, although he’s kept on working out his worries onscreen, forever hunting for flakes of hope in the rubble.

— Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of rubble

Noun

To paraphrase Tolstoy, all slop is alike, but every piece of trash is trashy in its own oddball way.

— Becca Rothfeld, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2026
Four months later, he was seen last weekend walking dogs, taking walks, enjoying a cup of coffee in a garage, and even stopping to sift through neighborhood trash items on the side of the street.

— Kelsie Cairns, FOXNews.com, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of trash

Noun

Painstaking analysis of 319 tons of wreckage and thousands of pieces of evidence from a crime scene covering 845 square miles, along with thousands of interviews in 16 countries, eventually led investigators to two Libyan intelligence operatives.

— The Week UK, TheWeek, 27 Aug. 2026
Software, which took a beating earlier this year, has more recently staged a comeback as traders reevaluated their business outlooks, and combed through the wreckage for survivors.

— Sarah Min, CNBC, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of wreckage

Noun

Once the novelty wore off, many ended up in storerooms gathering dust.

— Lyssanoel Frater, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026
This is because the material that serves as the building blocks for planets is constantly escaping the swirling platters of gas and dust, or protoplanetary disks, that wrap around infant stars.

— Robert Lea, Space.com, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of dust

Noun

The mountains, castles, and ruins of Ashina enable a unique traversal system.

— Aman Kumar, Encyclopedia Britannica, 27 Aug. 2026
The tornado struck Pomas, a village of about 1,000 people, on Monday and rescue teams were continuing their search through ruins on Tuesday, though no people were immediately reported missing.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of ruins

Noun

This comes at the expense of no movement in the wrist, but to be fair, having the lightsaber pointed in any other direction would look rubbish.

— Matt Gardner, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
Only construction waste will be accepted at the landfill such as, brush and rubbish, concrete, brick, rock, wood, paper, plastics, cardboard and roofing shingles and tiles.

— Elizabeth Campbell, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 July 2026

Definition of rubbish

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debriefs

debris

debs

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“Debris.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debris. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of debris

noun

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