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.
Some witnessed the collapse of the towers, while others searched through piles of debris for human remains.
From Slate ● Sep. 11, 2026
Amatya, the company’s acting chief executive, said the project was designed to survive intense, low-probability floods, but not glacial lake outbursts and catastrophic debris flows.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
On the peninsula in Long Beach on Tuesday, several neighbors checked on one another as they cleaned up debris from the flooding and storm damage.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
Among the earliest to reach damaged tissue are neutrophils, immune cells that were long viewed mainly as a cleanup crew responsible for removing debris.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 8, 2026
But tsunami debris wasn’t the only danger off the coast.
From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland
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.
