as in debris
the portion or bits of something left over or behind after it has been destroyed
the expanse of tree stumps represented the detritus of a vast forest that had been mercilessly clear-cut
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of detritus
One artist talked about how, for them, the apron absorbed the detritus of all the things that happened in the home, not just the mess from cooking or cleaning, but emotional fallout too.
—
Nicole Mowbray, CNN Money, 25 June 2025
Text chains buzzed into the early-morning hours as arm-chair experts on Tehran speculated what the political detritus would be stateside.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 23 June 2025
Farmers, after a night of picking, find their fields strewn with detritus: adult diapers, cigarette butts, snack bags, sawdust (essential for drying one’s fingers between bouts with slimy worms), and, in at least one instance, a condom.
—Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 18 June 2025
Crayfish hide in short burrows in the riverbank, under larger rocks or wood, or in detritus that is present in all the parts of the creek.
—Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 16 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for detritus
Nicole Mowbray, CNN Money, 25 June 2025
Text chains buzzed into the early-morning hours as arm-chair experts on Tehran speculated what the political detritus would be stateside.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 23 June 2025
Farmers, after a night of picking, find their fields strewn with detritus: adult diapers, cigarette butts, snack bags, sawdust (essential for drying one’s fingers between bouts with slimy worms), and, in at least one instance, a condom.
—Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 18 June 2025
Crayfish hide in short burrows in the riverbank, under larger rocks or wood, or in detritus that is present in all the parts of the creek.
—Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 16 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for detritus
Recent Examples of Synonyms for detritus
Noun
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On the morning of Aug. 13, a three-person city crew equipped with a skid steer, a dump truck, shovels and rakes was making its way up North 19th Street, picking up pile after pile of debris sitting outside homes.—
Alison Dirr,
jsonline.com,
13 Aug. 2025
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That said, while a bit of debris escaped after powering down, the vacuum still delivered from start to finish.—
Toni Sutton,
People.com,
13 Aug. 2025
Noun
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File photo: Ukrainian rescue workers survey the rubble of a residential building hit during a Russian overnight drone and missile strike in Kyiv, Ukraine on June 23, 2025.—
Brendan Cole,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 Aug. 2025
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So there is no way to look at the rubble in Gaza and the death toll estimates and offer a mathematical proof that Israel is failing to exercise adequate restraint.—
Ross Douthat,
Mercury News,
31 July 2025
Noun
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Creating the aftermath of Maginot’s wreckage in Prodigy City was another feat.—
Daron James,
IndieWire,
13 Aug. 2025
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Five other people, all in a third vehicle, were hospitalized with minor injuries and the fourth driver walked away from the wreckage and was treated at the scene.—
Andrea Klick,
Oc Register,
5 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Detritus.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detritus. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.
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