as in interrogating
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 debriefing
Since making their water landing, the three Americans and one Canadian who set out on the lunar journey have been busy, spending recent weeks reuniting with family, debriefing the mission and making media appearances – all while adapting to life back on Earth.
—
Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 29 Apr. 2026
Apart from debriefing after the trip to the winery, this was a big episode for dates.
—Tom Smyth, Vulture, 13 Apr. 2026
Chapman, who worked long hours debriefing Marquez over the years and shepherded his grand jury testimony, grew emotional while talking about Marquez’s qualities as a wonky engineer who could talk endlessly about the inner workings of the ComEd’s electrical grid.
—Jason Meisner, Chicago Tribune, 19 Feb. 2026
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
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
Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 29 Apr. 2026
Apart from debriefing after the trip to the winery, this was a big episode for dates.
—Tom Smyth, Vulture, 13 Apr. 2026
Chapman, who worked long hours debriefing Marquez over the years and shepherded his grand jury testimony, grew emotional while talking about Marquez’s qualities as a wonky engineer who could talk endlessly about the inner workings of the ComEd’s electrical grid.
—Jason Meisner, Chicago Tribune, 19 Feb. 2026
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for debriefing
Verb
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Goldman advises hyperscalers, underwrites chip company offerings, and sits at the table with the companies building the very infrastructure Covello was interrogating.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
6 May 2026
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But those comparisons won’t do The White Lotus any favors, since Beef is more effective than that series’ second and third seasons in interrogating how exclusive locations sharpen class differences.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
4 May 2026
Verb
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And the two are treated differently, with Dorothy and other characters repeatedly questioning whether Tik-Tok is, in fact, alive.—
Livia Gershon,
JSTOR Daily,
19 May 2026
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Wanted for questioning, Watts later surrendered to authorities on an outstanding federal arrest warrant.—
Milena Malaver,
Miami Herald,
19 May 2026
Verb
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Investigators are examining possible anti-Islamic writings found in the car where police found the dead suspects, two senior law enforcement officials said.—
Dennis Romero,
NBC news,
19 May 2026
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Michael Spence, who oversees the Washington side of Pirro’s office, also said prosecutors are examining whether parents living in Maryland or Virginia could potentially face liability if their children travel into Washington to participate in the disturbances.—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
18 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Debriefing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debriefing. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
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