debrief
Americanverb (used with object)
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to interrogate (a soldier, astronaut, diplomat, etc.) on return from a mission in order to assess the conduct and results of the mission.
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to question formally and systematically in order to obtain useful intelligence or information.
Political and economic experts routinely debrief important defectors about conditions in their home country.
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to subject to prohibitions against revealing or discussing classified information, as upon separation from a position of military or political sensitivity.
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Psychology. (after an experiment) to disclose to the subject the purpose of the experiment and any reasons for deception or manipulation.
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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debriefsimple
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debriefssimple
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have debriefedperfect
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has debriefedperfect
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am debriefingprogressive
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are debriefingprogressive
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is debriefingprogressive
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have been debriefingperfect progressive
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has been debriefingperfect progressive
Past
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debriefedsimple
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had debriefedperfect
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was debriefingprogressive
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were debriefingprogressive
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had been debriefingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of debrief
Explanation
When you debrief someone, you interview the person about an experience, project, or mission they've completed. A soldier's commanding officer might debrief her after a particularly difficult battle. Spies and military personnel might expect their superiors to debrief them after a mission — the process is called a debriefing, and it includes questions about the experience and instructions about which details must be kept classified. Educators and counselors sometimes also debrief people, particularly those who have experienced tragedy or trauma, and who can be helped by talking through their experiences. The word debrief emerged at the end of World War II, originally as a military term.
Vocabulary lists containing debrief
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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.
See Examples For:
A chatty debrief on Taylor and Travis’ wedding: We have to hand it to Taylor Swift—it’s a real feat that she managed to keep many details of her Friday wedding to Travis Kelce under wraps.
From Slate ● Jul. 6, 2026
Rushing, in his first game back in the lineup after being removed Monday to rule out a concussion, huddled with Ohtani and pitching coach Mark Prior on the mound to debrief.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 25, 2026
Air Force personnel and collecting documents on topics of interest to China, before returning to debrief Chinese intelligence officials and allowing them to retrieve data from his electronic devices.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 24, 2026
The freshly ousted president of Kosovo pops in for a debrief.
From Slate ● May 8, 2026
Together they would debrief the Soviet spy in a safe house hidden away in northern Virginia.
From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau
The review of care in Swansea found that debriefs with families and responses to complaints lacked compassion.
From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2025
“We joked about that,” admitted Reddick’s crew chief, Billy Scott, “that he’s the only one that sits in our debriefs without a win.”
From Washington Times ● Sep. 10, 2023
Seated around the kitchen table, Bonnie gently debriefs them on their mother’s medical and legislative battles.
From New York Times ● Oct. 20, 2022
There were debriefs for workers as some needed time to process it.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 15, 2021
Former department heads told The Times that they instead raised alarms to the festival’s leadership, either through emailed requests before a season began or during in-person debriefs once the season had ended.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2021
“For now, they’re not going to get out,” said Carlos David Guillén, a former political prisoner and ex-serviceman who has debriefed American officials on the officers jailed in Venezuela.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 9, 2026
As we debriefed Monday's action, I asked former Olympic figure skating champion Robin Cousins what Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson need to do to win an ice dance medal at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
From BBC ● Feb. 11, 2026
Zelensky described the talks in the United States as "very constructive", adding that decisions would be taken on Ukraine's "further activities" once the delegation returning from there had been debriefed.
From Barron's ● Dec. 1, 2025
LaRosa had exhaustively studied how it might happen safely and ensured everyone was properly debriefed.
From Seattle Times ● May 17, 2024
I think he had just remembered that the training officers debriefed the OJTs every day and reviewed the actions of regular officers.
From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover
Either way, I’m sure there was a debriefing later.
From Salon ● Jan. 23, 2026
Along with their superior speed, the Roche products seem competitive with Illumina’s in accuracy, according to Guggenheim’s report on the debriefing.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2025
But the strategy was successful enough that Gonzalez plans to sit down with national labor leaders for a debriefing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 15, 2024
Counselling support had been prioritised for those affected - and all grade eight pupils had had debriefing sessions, Ms Hammond said.
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2024
On Monday afternoon, not long after arriving—exhausted—in Washington, Marti Peterson was due for a debriefing with Admiral Stansfield Turner, the director of Central Intelligence.
From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau
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.
