Words / C1

DEBR-ee/ˈdebriː/

Debris is scattered wreckage: clear the debris, debris from the roof. Rubbish is everyday waste; wreckage is close after a crash. Debris is uncountable in this sense (some debris, not “a debris”). The British pronunciation is usually /ˈdebriː/. Do not call a tidy pile of recycling debris.

Meaning

Scattered pieces left after something is destroyed or broken.

Examples

• “Rescuers cleared debris from the collapsed roof.”
• “Glass debris made the pavement unsafe until the sweepers came.”
• “Flood debris included fences, not only mud.”

Good to know

Scattered wreckage (usually uncountable). Everyday waste: rubbish. Close: wreckage. Not a tidy recycling pile.

Near in meaning

wreckage

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