as in interrogated
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.
Related Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of debriefed
The 14 Russian survivors were brought ashore in the port city of Cartagena, where they were debriefed by Spanish police and investigators.
—
Pau Mosquera,
CNN Money,
12 May 2026
Fox said Williams was debriefed in September 2015 and signed a nondisclosure agreement.
—
Allen G. Breed,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Apr. 2026
Shortly thereafter, Dowd found herself inside the FBI’s resident agency in Brevard County, where she was debriefed by a special agent.
—
Adam Ciralsky,
Vanity Fair,
19 Mar. 2026
Importantly, there was no significant difference in recovery between people who were debriefed and those who were not.
—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
26 Aug. 2025
Pau Mosquera,
CNN Money,
12 May 2026
Fox said Williams was debriefed in September 2015 and signed a nondisclosure agreement.
—
Allen G. Breed,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Apr. 2026
Shortly thereafter, Dowd found herself inside the FBI’s resident agency in Brevard County, where she was debriefed by a special agent.
—
Adam Ciralsky,
Vanity Fair,
19 Mar. 2026
Importantly, there was no significant difference in recovery between people who were debriefed and those who were not.
—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
26 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for debriefed
Verb
-
Information still needs to be interrogated, narratives stress-tested and probabilities translated into exposure limits.
-
While Europeans at Ellis Island did face medical inspections and some were even detained, Asians and Pacific Islanders at Angel Island were especially not welcomed; because of anti-Chinese exclusion laws, they instead were inspected, interrogated and detained in prison-like conditions.
Verb
-
Asked about the impact of successor Mojtaba Khamenei’s absence, Kamrava questioned the official explanation of security concerns, especially given the public appearance of other senior figures, and pointed to previous reports of his injury.
-
His behavior under stress is dangerous to his officers and crew, and his authority is questioned.
Verb
-
The Legislative Analyst’s Office, the nonpartisan fiscal advisor for lawmakers, recently examined the increase in state spending since 2019-20, Newsom’s first full year in office.
-
The study examined how concentrated each category is by measuring the share of top 10 mentions held by the top 3 brands.
Cite this Entry
“Debriefed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debriefed. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
