debrief

American  

[dee-breef] / diˈbrif /

verb (used with object)

debriefs, present (3rd person singular) debriefed, past participle, past debriefing present participle

1. to interrogate (a soldier, astronaut, diplomat, etc.) on return from a mission in order to assess the conduct and results of the mission.

2. 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.

3. to subject to prohibitions against revealing or discussing classified information, as upon separation from a position of military or political sensitivity.

4. Psychology. (after an experiment) to disclose to the subject the purpose of the experiment and any reasons for deception or manipulation.

---

debrief British  

/ diːˈbriːf /

verb

1. (of a soldier, astronaut, diplomat, etc) to make or (of his superiors) to elicit a report after a mission or event Compare brief

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• debriefer
  noun
• debriefing
  noun

Inflected Forms

Participles

• debriefing
  present
• debriefed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• debrief
  simple
• debriefs
  simple
• have debriefed
  perfect
• has debriefed
  perfect
• am debriefing
  progressive
• are debriefing
  progressive
• is debriefing
  progressive
• have been debriefing
  perfect progressive
• has been debriefing
  perfect progressive

Past

• debriefed
  simple
• had debriefed
  perfect
• was debriefing
  progressive
• were debriefing
  progressive
• had been debriefing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will debrief
  simple
• will have debriefed
  perfect
• will be debriefing
  progressive
• will have been debriefing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of debrief

First recorded in 1940–45; de- + brief

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

debrief debriefs debriefed debriefing

“Flight debrief complete. No reprimands. No firings. No problem,” Cao wrote on social media.

From Salon ● Jul. 19, 2026

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

The big VAR debrief - did it deny Bournemouth Champions League spot?

From BBC ● May 29, 2026

His CIA contact would then meet him at the Berlin Hilton, where they would debrief the day's events.

From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau

For a start, all technical debriefs in Ferrari are conducted in English.

From BBC ● Mar. 10, 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

To get a sense of Roche’s new offerings, Guggenheim debriefed Christopher Mason, a computational genomics professor at New York’s Weill Cornell Medicine who had early access to the systems.

From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2025

LaRosa had exhaustively studied how it might happen safely and ensured everyone was properly debriefed.

From Seattle Times ● May 17, 2024

Weyand returned on April 5 and quickly debriefed Ford on his trip.

From "Boots on the Ground: America's War in Vietnam" by Elizabeth Partridge

Officials are debriefing after chaos broke out on the Newport Beach Peninsula Saturday, leading more than 400 arrests.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026

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

Professionals like Andrea are able to self-refer and receive a range of support including debriefing sessions, counselling and complementary therapies.

From BBC ● Apr. 15, 2025

My interview with Sir John Balliol had to be in the debriefing room—I suppose they do briefings there as well as debriefings, but that’s what everybody calls it.

From "Code Name Verity" by Elizabeth Wein

Related Words

• interrogate