debacle

noun

de·​ba·​cle dē-ˈbä-kəl How to pronounce debacle (audio)
di-,
-ˈba- How to pronounce debacle (audio)
nonstandard
ˈde-bə-kəl How to pronounce debacle (audio)
variants or less commonly débâcle
dē-ˈbä-kəl How to pronounce debacle (audio)
di-,
-ˈba- How to pronounce debacle (audio)
 also  dā-ˈbäk(lᵊ),
-ˈbä-kəl
 How to pronounce debacle (audio)
1
a
: a great disaster
b
: a complete failure : fiasco
2
: a tumultuous breakup of ice in a river
3
: a violent disruption (as of an army) : rout

Did you know?

The Origin of Debacle Is French

If you need an icebreaker in some social setting, why not recount the history of debacle? After all, when it was first used in English, debacle referred to the literal breaking up of ice (such as the kind that occurs in a river after a long, cold winter), as well as to the rush of ice or water that follows such an event. Eventually, it was also used to mean “a violent, destructive flood.” If that’s not enough to make some fast friends, you could let loose the fact that debacle comes from the French noun débâcle, which in turn comes from the verb débâcler, meaning “to clear, unbolt, or unbar.” You might then add, to your listeners’ grateful appreciation, that these uses led naturally to such meanings as “a breaking up,” “collapse,” and finally the familiar “disaster” and “fiasco.” We can feel the silence thawing already.

Examples of debacle in a Sentence

What a debacle. Next thing he knew, one of the patients would turn up dead. T. Coraghessan Boyle, The Road to Wellville, 1993
So what had been intended as an orderly hearing ended in a general debacle, for as soon as Fray Domingo saw his protector dragged toward the exit door, he leaped at the guards and began pummeling them. James A. Michener, Texas, 1985
Savings themselves evaporate in the course of such a debacle and thus the very wherewithal for reversing and retrieving the situation is lost … Jane Jacobs, Cities and the Wealth of Nations, 1984
After the debacle of his first novel, he had trouble getting a publisher for his next book. the financial debacle that was the stock market crash of 1929
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Continue reading … -- POLITICS FACING THE FACTS – 'Sanctuary city' mayors prepare to explain themselves to House, avoid notorious debacle. Fox News, 3 Mar. 2025 Complicating something that’s actually very simple leads to such debacles as last Friday afternoon. Andrew C. McCarthy, National Review, 3 Mar. 2025 Doing it this way certainly didn’t make viewers forget the whole Gascón debacle, especially after O’Brien reminded everybody about it in his monologue. Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 3 Mar. 2025 Some prominent Republicans reacted to the debacle with harsh criticism for Zelensky, with figures like Senator Lindsey Graham demanding that the Ukrainian president apologize. Dan Perry, Newsweek, 1 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for debacle

Word History

Etymology

French débâcle, from débâcler to clear, from Middle French desbacler, from des- de- + bacler to block, perhaps from Vulgar Latin *bacculare, from Latin baculum staff

First Known Use

1802, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of debacle was in 1802

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Cite this Entry

“Debacle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/debacle. Accessed 9 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

debacle

noun
de·​ba·​cle
variants also débâcle
di-ˈbäk-əl How to pronounce debacle (audio)
-ˈbak-
: a great disaster or complete failure
the army's retreat was a debacle

More from Merriam-Webster on debacle

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