1
as in garbage
discarded or useless material
the unsightly debris left after mining operations had ceased
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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
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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of debris
This simple addition keeps out leaves, debris and insects.
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Claire Marks, Austin American-Statesman, 28 Nov. 2024
Reach-under tool: The reach-under tool bends, extends, and twists to remove dust and debris from awkward spaces (like between car seats, behind radiators, and in tough corners).
—Brenda Stolyar, WIRED, 27 Nov. 2024
Rain guards: Deflect rain, snow and other debris from your windows and keep inside a dry space.
—Sasha Lekach, Forbes, 27 Nov. 2024
About 11 million years ago, an asteroid collided with Mars, sending plumes of debris beyond the planet’s atmosphere.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 14 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for debris 
Claire Marks, Austin American-Statesman, 28 Nov. 2024
Reach-under tool: The reach-under tool bends, extends, and twists to remove dust and debris from awkward spaces (like between car seats, behind radiators, and in tough corners).
—Brenda Stolyar, WIRED, 27 Nov. 2024
Rain guards: Deflect rain, snow and other debris from your windows and keep inside a dry space.
—Sasha Lekach, Forbes, 27 Nov. 2024
About 11 million years ago, an asteroid collided with Mars, sending plumes of debris beyond the planet’s atmosphere.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 14 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for debris
Recent Examples of Synonyms for debris
Noun
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Generic garbage with weird phrases and a robotic structure.Jodie Cook, Forbes, 22 Nov. 2024
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And composting leaves means less going to the garbage dump.Lauren David, Southern Living, 20 Nov. 2024
Noun
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Case closed, with what’s left of Sofia’s car and Sal Maroni’s whole corpse lying in the rubble for good measure.Andy Andersen, Vulture, 10 Nov. 2024
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The lime in the rubble left behind after artillery bombardments helped fertilize the plants, which flourished across Belgium and northern France during the war, then largely disappeared once the lime was gone.Freddie Clayton, NBC News, 10 Nov. 2024
Noun
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This Roomba sweeps and sucks up dust for 120 minutes on a single charge.Jessica Kasparian, SELF, 23 Nov. 2024
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Instead, use a damp towel or microfiber cloth, which can trap and lock in dust, reducing the amount that’s stirred up when cleaning.Alyssa Shaffer, Better Homes & Gardens, 23 Nov. 2024
Noun
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Three people were killed in the crash; a fourth was pulled from the wreckage by a person who had left the same event as those in the Cybertruck and was driving behind them when the crash occurred.Rick Hurd, The Mercury News, 28 Nov. 2024
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Scientists have been interested in Stephan’s Quintet since its discovery in 1877, because, among other reasons, many of its galaxies repeatedly come close to knocking into each other, and it’s composed of the wreckage left behind from past astronomical collisions.Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 Nov. 2024
Noun
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On one recent morning, trash littered the steps leading down to the garden-level entrance, and a red Nike shoebox sat abandoned in a stone planter.Bridget Read, Curbed, 15 Nov. 2024
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Vault toilets, trash and recycling services are available at the nearby El Capitan picnic area.Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 15 Nov. 2024
Noun
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Johnson: There’s so much rubbish talked about this.Susan Page, USA TODAY, 1 Nov. 2024
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Collins was mortified; the conga player was rubbish.Ryan Craig, Forbes, 20 Sep. 2024
Noun
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Build crazy machines that work out of junk, and learn the underlying principles behind them.Jim Higgins, Journal Sentinel, 21 Nov. 2024
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Last month, Ortberg announced plans to lay off about 17,000 people and a stock sale to prevent the company’s credit rating from being cut to junk status.David Koenig, Fortune, 6 Nov. 2024
Noun
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Female dogs may be bred continuously without adequate recovery time between litters, putting them at risk of complications and diminishing their quality of life.Lisa Bloch, The Mercury News, 19 Nov. 2024
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Speaking of kicking, the detachable shelter keeps litter and pee inside—just in case your cat has a high stream.Medea Giordano, WIRED, 5 Nov. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Debris.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debris. Accessed 3 Dec. 2024.
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