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
Jupiter’s location in the path of the Gulf Stream means there’s a constant flow of tropical water that improves the ocean’s clarity and visibility by carrying out any algae, flotsam, or runoff that accumulates.
—
Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 20 May 2025
That Jia could make anything out of that flotsam and jetsam is astonishing, but his ability to not only recreate those time frames but craft all of it into a woozy, free-floating memory piece is miraculous.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 9 May 2025
But that pick should be something the Kings can leverage, along with the second-round selections in some trade flotsam down the road.
—Zach Harper, The Athletic, 3 Feb. 2025
Federal officials and experts are warning that the winds and floodwaters from Helene that wrecked the Southeast carry unscrupulous fraudsters amid the flotsam.
—Michael Loria, USA TODAY, 2 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for flotsam
Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 20 May 2025
That Jia could make anything out of that flotsam and jetsam is astonishing, but his ability to not only recreate those time frames but craft all of it into a woozy, free-floating memory piece is miraculous.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 9 May 2025
But that pick should be something the Kings can leverage, along with the second-round selections in some trade flotsam down the road.
—Zach Harper, The Athletic, 3 Feb. 2025
Federal officials and experts are warning that the winds and floodwaters from Helene that wrecked the Southeast carry unscrupulous fraudsters amid the flotsam.
—Michael Loria, USA TODAY, 2 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for flotsam
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flotsam
Noun
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Your nose is designed to filter out debris, allergens, and even tiny insects (thank those nose hairs), and it's designed to give your lungs and throat warmer, more moist air, according to the Cleveland Clinic.—
Nena Farrell,
Wired News,
1 Aug. 2025
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Starship debris clouds future of SpaceX Bahamas landings.—
Eric Berger,
ArsTechnica,
1 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The real heroes are the medics treating the wounded under rubble, the journalists livestreaming amidst bomb blasts, and the people who keep marching for their right to exist.—
Faisal Kutty,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 July 2025
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The semi-persistent changes in scenery also do a good job of highlighting the Switch 2's hardware, which doesn't seem to drop a single frame, even as the rubble flies and the ground's shape morphs under Donkey Kong's persistent punching.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
16 July 2025
Noun
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Is the issue about the size of the impact U.S. policy makes, or the size of the wreckage left behind which might eventually bite us or our grandchildren?—
Ian Dexter Palmer,
Forbes.com,
4 Aug. 2025
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The wreckage was first spotted by a schoolboy in Feb. 2024.—
Andrea Margolis,
FOXNews.com,
30 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Flotsam.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flotsam. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.
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