Debris: meaning, example and synonyms
Debrisn. Scattered fragments or remains of something broken, destroyed, or discarded.
Example
After the flood receded, geologists sifted through the debris piled against the bridge pylons, hoping to determine how far upstream the surge had begun.
- Part of speech
- noun
- Synonyms
- rubble, wreckage, fragments, remains
- Antonyms
- intact whole, unbroken structure
- Memory tip
- French debris: what is left once something is broken down.
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Check yourself: Debris in context
After the storm, volunteers spent days clearing the beach of ______: splintered dock boards, tangled fishing nets, and shattered roof tiles.
Answer: debris. Splintered boards and shattered tiles are scattered remains of broken things, debris. prose (writing without meter), consideration (regard for others) and calculation (self-serving planning) don't fit this context.
Astronomers worry that the growing cloud of orbital ______, from spent rocket stages to fragments of shattered satellites, could collide with working spacecraft.
Answer: debris. Spent rocket stages and satellite fragments are debris. cacophony (harsh noise), indication (a sign) and prose (writing without meter) don't fit this context.