debris
or dé·bris
[duh-bree, dey-bree or, esp. British, deb-ree]
- the remains of anything broken down or destroyed; ruins; rubble: the debris of buildings after an air raid.
- Geology. an accumulation of loose fragments of rock.
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Origin of debris
Synonyms
See more synonyms for debris on Thesaurus.com1. detritus, litter, trash.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for debris
Contemporary Examples
Strong currents and winds, however, mean any debris could be drifting up to 31 miles a day eastward, away from the impact zone.
A number of bottles and other debris came down upon the demonstrators and cops on the roadway from the pedestrian walkway above.
I asked a former NASA astronaut, who cannot be quoted on the record, to look at photographs of the debris.
They said that the rest eventually sank beneath the surface—some after bobbing in the water clinging to debris for several hours.
Hundreds of Migrants are Reported Drowned by Traffickers Near MaltaBarbie Latza Nadeau
September 15, 2014
There was one very large and easily identifiable piece of debris floating, the vertical stabilizer.
Historical Examples
Selected water as the spot for his fall, and was not picked up with the debris.
Who Was Who: 5000 B. C. to DateAnonymous
Until then the stream had followed the street; but the debris that encumbered it deflected the course.
The FloodEmile Zola
As she spoke she stepped forward and stumbled over the debris at the door.
The StrollersFrederic S. Isham
In the corner Nasha struggled to free herself from the debris.
The GunPhilip K. Dick
From the overhanging rocks, too, debris falls as a result of "weathering."
The Mountain that was 'God'John H. Williams
debris
dbris
- fragments or remnants of something destroyed or broken; rubble
- a collection of loose material derived from rocks, or an accumulation of animal or vegetable matter
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Word Origin
C18: from French, from obsolete debrisier to break into pieces, from bruisier to shatter, of Celtic origin
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
Word Origin and History for debris
n.
1708, from French débris "remains, waste, rubbish" (16c.), from obsolete debriser "break down, crush," from Old French de- (see de-) + briser "to break," from Late Latin brisare, possibly of Gaulish origin (cf. Old Irish brissim "I break").
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper