noun
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fragments or remnants of something destroyed or broken; rubble
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a collection of loose material derived from rocks, or an accumulation of animal or vegetable matter
Etymology
Origin of debris
First recorded in 1700–10; from French débris, Middle French debris, derivative of debriser “to break up (into pieces),” Old French debrisier, from de- de- + brisier “to break” ( see bruise)
Explanation
Debris is trash scattered around after a disaster, like shattered glass on the road after a car accident. Debris comes from French for "waste, rubbish." Although debris usually refers to the trash leftover after some kind of explosion or crash, it can also be what's on your floor after hosting a kid's make-your-own pizza party, or what you shouldn't leave at the park after a picnic. Sometimes Mother Nature leaves debris, such as a pile of rocks, or that car on your lawn after the flood recedes. Don't pronounce the "s": debris rhymes with "be free."
Vocabulary lists containing debris
100 Words Every Middle Schooler Should Know
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"Of Mice and Men"
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Essential Academic Vocabulary for Middle School Students, List 8
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Debris from an intercepted drone sparked a fire at the base of the Burj Al Arab, the sail-shaped building sometimes touted as the world's first seven-star hotel.
From Barron's • Feb. 28, 2026
Debris landed on beaches and roadways in Turks and Caicos.
From Salon • Jan. 12, 2026
Debris could become more of a safety risk as the pace of rocket launches increases.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 21, 2025
"It's much more likely that you win the lottery than that you get impacted by this piece of space debris." said Mr Stijn Lemmens, Senior Space Debris Mitigation Analyst at the European Space Agency.
From BBC • May 7, 2025
Debris from the landslide also dammed two creeks, South Fork Castle Creek and Coldwater Creek, and created two new lakes: Castle Lake and Coldwater Lake.
From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
