as in debris
the portion or bits of something left over or behind after it has been destroyed
the dispirited family picked through the flotsam of their possessions after the hurricane, looking for anything that could be salvaged
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Recent Examples of flotsam
The headlamps of their truck illuminated little more than a wedge of flotsam.
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Paige Williams, The New Yorker, 17 June 2024
Living in White Plains, N.Y., in the 1980s, Mrs. Wallace galvanized a broad campaign to rescue the river, at the time an inaccessible 23-mile watercourse that was home to more flotsam, like the carcasses of junked cars and rusted refrigerators, than fauna.
—Sam Roberts, New York Times, 1 Mar. 2024
At dawn, the water flowed through some city streets like coastal rivers, moving jellyfish, seaweed and flotsam several blocks landward.
—Reuters, CNN, 7 Feb. 2024
The European Space Agency, NASA and other spacefaring organizations across the globe have been looking for ways to mitigate the ever-growing cosmic junkyard of old satellites and rocket flotsam crowding Earth's orbit.
—Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 11 Jan. 2024
See all Example Sentences for flotsam 
Paige Williams, The New Yorker, 17 June 2024
Living in White Plains, N.Y., in the 1980s, Mrs. Wallace galvanized a broad campaign to rescue the river, at the time an inaccessible 23-mile watercourse that was home to more flotsam, like the carcasses of junked cars and rusted refrigerators, than fauna.
—Sam Roberts, New York Times, 1 Mar. 2024
At dawn, the water flowed through some city streets like coastal rivers, moving jellyfish, seaweed and flotsam several blocks landward.
—Reuters, CNN, 7 Feb. 2024
The European Space Agency, NASA and other spacefaring organizations across the globe have been looking for ways to mitigate the ever-growing cosmic junkyard of old satellites and rocket flotsam crowding Earth's orbit.
—Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 11 Jan. 2024
See all Example Sentences for flotsam
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flotsam
Noun
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Geminid meteors are caused by dust and debris left in the inner solar system, not by a comet — as is usually the case for meteor showers — but by an asteroid called 3200 Phaethon, which hurtles through the solar system every 18 months.Jamie Carter, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2024
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By late 2024, the agency distributed more than $1.2 billion in direct assistance to survivors of the Helene and Milton hurricanes, with another $1.1 billion allocated for debris removal and other measures.Micheline Maynard, TIME, 11 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Rescuers pulled 10 bodies from the rubble, including two parents and their two children, the service confirmed.Raja Krishnamoorthi, Newsweek, 16 Dec. 2024
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Over 105,000 people have been wounded, and thousands remain under rubble, the ministry said in a statement.NBC News, NBC News, 3 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Otherwise, the familial wreckage Leonard caused is unconscionable, but sadly not that uncommon — and also not that impactful with the gentle acoustic-guitar score continually making apologies on his behalf.Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 12 Dec. 2024
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But he's left a trail of wreckage along the the way.Michael Loria, USA TODAY, 2 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near flotsam
Cite this Entry
“Flotsam.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flotsam. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.
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