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.
Plunging some 4,000 feet into a valley below, the ice pulverized into water upon impact to create a devastating flood, with the rock debris adding to the destructive power of the ice-and-rock avalanche.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
It said a magnitude 5.2 seismic event caused by a "glacial collapse and debris flow" occurred near the border at 08:37 local time on Wednesday.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
China also reported a landslide, saying a border hub between Tibet and Nepal had been hit by a surge of debris.
From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026
On Wednesday morning, a massive flood of mud, water and debris swept away villages on either side of the border between China and Nepal, killing more than 360 people and leaving around 1,450 missing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
There were also signs of construction—a barrel-shaped cement mixer and a dumpster filled with debris.
From "The Smartest Kid in the Universe" by Chris Grabenstein
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.
