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
Health care workers may dip into depression and substance abuse, and Rau seeks to counter that by debriefing his staff after tragedies and encouraging them to reach out to one another.
—
Andy Sheehan, CBS News, 29 Dec. 2025
Some of us are going to be telling stories (gesturing to Flowers and Morrison) and some of us are going to be speaking with the village elders about how to make your life better (gesturing to Shepard and Robbins), and some of us are going to be trying to debrief about the news of the day.
—Julian Sancton, HollywoodReporter, 17 Nov. 2025
Dinner is a fun time for travelers to debrief about the day before getting prepped for the next day.
—Miami Herald, 30 Oct. 2025
For Morgan, making a video at the end of the day, debriefing all aspects of the long, grueling days of recruitment, was never going to be a polished piece of content.
—Tabitha Parent, People.com, 2 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for debrief
Andy Sheehan, CBS News, 29 Dec. 2025
Some of us are going to be telling stories (gesturing to Flowers and Morrison) and some of us are going to be speaking with the village elders about how to make your life better (gesturing to Shepard and Robbins), and some of us are going to be trying to debrief about the news of the day.
—Julian Sancton, HollywoodReporter, 17 Nov. 2025
Dinner is a fun time for travelers to debrief about the day before getting prepped for the next day.
—Miami Herald, 30 Oct. 2025
For Morgan, making a video at the end of the day, debriefing all aspects of the long, grueling days of recruitment, was never going to be a polished piece of content.
—Tabitha Parent, People.com, 2 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for debrief
Recent Examples of Synonyms for debrief
Verb
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Recordings of the three men being interrogated provide the basis for flashbacks, and scenes set in Tehran’s artistic beau monde of the late sixties show the aftermath of their adventures.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
27 Mar. 2026
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Jamie and his crew arrive, kill almost everyone, and bring Lionel back to Fraser’s Ridge to interrogate him.—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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If someone invokes these rights, police are supposed to stop questioning them immediately.—
N'dea Yancey-Bragg,
USA Today,
29 Mar. 2026
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Quinn says investigators questioned his story.—
Lauren Clark,
CBS News,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Another, by the Agency for Health Care Administration, examined whether the Flagami house where Rabell lived was an unlicensed elder care facility.—
Carol Marbin Miller,
Miami Herald,
2 Apr. 2026
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Syria policy and sanctions questions The report also examines Turkey’s role in Syria, where the country backed opposition forces during the civil war, supporting a range of armed factions, including groups that later formed the Syrian National Army.—
Efrat Lachter,
FOXNews.com,
1 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Debrief.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debrief. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
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