as in debris
the portion or bits of something left over or behind after it has been destroyed
the expanse of tree stumps represented the detritus of a vast forest that had been mercilessly clear-cut
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Recent Examples of detritus
On the south side of the 134 Freeway in Pasadena, amid the brush and the dirt and detritus, there is an empty tub of Dreyer’s vanilla ice cream and an empty drink cup from Subway.
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Noah Goldberg, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2024
Mud and floating detritus blocked hundreds of roads, including Interstate 40 around Asheville, and ongoing search-and-rescue operations were hampered by cellular and WiFi outages.
—Peter Weber, theweek, 30 Sep. 2024
If there is debris in the bottom of the bag, turn it upside down over a trash can and gently shake out dirt, dust, hair, and other detritus.
—Jolie Kerr, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 Sep. 2024
The small ridge created by the screen protector ends up being a trap for dust and other little bits of detritus.
—Andrew Cunningham, Ars Technica, 23 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for detritus 
Noah Goldberg, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2024
Mud and floating detritus blocked hundreds of roads, including Interstate 40 around Asheville, and ongoing search-and-rescue operations were hampered by cellular and WiFi outages.
—Peter Weber, theweek, 30 Sep. 2024
If there is debris in the bottom of the bag, turn it upside down over a trash can and gently shake out dirt, dust, hair, and other detritus.
—Jolie Kerr, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 Sep. 2024
The small ridge created by the screen protector ends up being a trap for dust and other little bits of detritus.
—Andrew Cunningham, Ars Technica, 23 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for detritus
Recent Examples of Synonyms for detritus
Noun
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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
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Deep water surrounded much of the area, so someone had placed sheets of wood on top of a chain link fence and balanced both on blocks of plastic foam, creating a makeshift barge that could pull piles of debris from shore to shore. Skid loaders crisscrossed the nearby sand.Blake Nelson, The Mercury News, 12 Nov. 2024
Noun
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Here's why At one point he’s basically indentured to almost comically evil thieves, who force him to crawl through small spaces in the rubble to steal for them.Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 5 Nov. 2024
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The Colosseum stands strong as the rest of ancient Rome lies in rubble.Joshua Rapp Learn, Discover Magazine, 4 Nov. 2024
Noun
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Alfaro, 30, set up shop early Monday at a Baptist church in southeast Oklahoma City, where residents sifted through debris and emergency responders worked to restore power and clear wreckage – even as rounds of thunderstorms barreled across the region.Christopher Cann, USA TODAY, 4 Nov. 2024
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Steve Ditko buries Spider-Man under tons of unmovable, sci-machinery and wreckage, a weight that seems far above even the wall-crawler’s powers to escape from.Josh Weiss, Forbes, 1 Nov. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Detritus.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detritus. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.
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