debouch

[ dih-boosh, -bouch ]
See synonyms for debouch on Thesaurus.com
verb (used without object)
  1. to march out from a narrow or confined place into open country, as a body of troops: The platoon debouched from the defile into the plain.

  2. Physical Geography.

    • to emerge from a relatively narrow valley upon an open plain: A river or glacier debouches on the plains.

    • to flow from a small valley into a larger one.

  1. to come forth; emerge.

Origin of debouch

1
1655–65; <French déboucher, equivalent to dé-dis-1 + -boucher, verbal derivative of bouche mouth <Latin bucca cheek, jaw

Words that may be confused with debouch

Words Nearby debouch

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use debouch in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for debouch

debouch

/ (dɪˈbaʊtʃ) /


verb
  1. (intr) (esp of troops) to move into a more open space, as from a narrow or concealed place

  2. (intr) (of a river, glacier, etc) to flow from a valley into a larger area or body

noun
  1. Also called: débouché (French debuʃe) fortifications an outlet or passage, as for the exit of troops

Origin of debouch

1
C18: from French déboucher, from dé- dis 1 + bouche mouth, from Latin bucca cheek

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012