as in to interrogate
to officially ask (someone) about a job that has been done or about an experience
Police debriefed the hostages upon their return. The pilot was debriefed after his flight.
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Recent Examples of debrief
Christian Walker dressed, dwelled and debriefed there for the first 49 games of his Astros tenure.
—
Chandler Rome, New York Times, 25 May 2025
Bobby Moynihan and Bryant play government officials debriefing the three citizens, but a troubling pattern soon emerges in their answers.
—Erin Strecker, IndieWire, 13 Feb. 2025
Boone, who joined the Southern District of New York (SDNY) in 2012, had been on the public corruption beat for approximately a year when he was assigned the task of debriefing Blazer over college sports.
—Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 13 Mar. 2025
On the May 4 episode of The Real Housewives of Atlanta, Angela debriefs her husband on the dramatic ending to the cast trip to Nashville.
—Liza Esquibias, People.com, 5 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for debrief
Chandler Rome, New York Times, 25 May 2025
Bobby Moynihan and Bryant play government officials debriefing the three citizens, but a troubling pattern soon emerges in their answers.
—Erin Strecker, IndieWire, 13 Feb. 2025
Boone, who joined the Southern District of New York (SDNY) in 2012, had been on the public corruption beat for approximately a year when he was assigned the task of debriefing Blazer over college sports.
—Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 13 Mar. 2025
On the May 4 episode of The Real Housewives of Atlanta, Angela debriefs her husband on the dramatic ending to the cast trip to Nashville.
—Liza Esquibias, People.com, 5 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for debrief
Recent Examples of Synonyms for debrief
Verb
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The baby boy was found dead in a garbage truck in Greenwich in 1986, and Phillips was initially a person of interest but never arrested or interrogated.—
Joseph Wilkinson,
New York Daily News,
23 July 2025
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After reading the questionnaires, the judge interrogated us.—
Denise Amos,
Mercury News,
17 July 2025
Verb
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Carlson questioned why Epstein had never been asked about a connection with Barak or Mossad.—
Solcyré Burga,
Time,
14 July 2025
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The song captures Rumi’s internal struggle and her growing uncertainty about the road ahead, marking a shift in her journey from confident leader to someone questioning the cost of it all.—
Samantha Stutsman,
People.com,
14 July 2025
Verb
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Their main goal was to examine an area of the river where a magnet fisherman had found an anchor.—
Rose Androwich,
jsonline.com,
22 July 2025
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This study examines the ratio of the income floor for the top 20% of earners to the income ceiling for the bottom 20% of earners.—
Nathan Goldman,
Forbes.com,
21 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Debrief.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debrief. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
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