Thesaurus results for DETRITUS

detritus

noun

di-ˈtrī-təs

Definition of detritus

as in debris

the portion or bits of something left over or behind after it has been destroyed the expanse of tree stumps represented the detritus of a vast forest that had been mercilessly clear-cut

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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 detritus The past is not so much foreign as free, free to anyone who is willing to do the work, to enter the past with a spirit of curiosity and a willingness to conjure a living world out of the detritus that history leaves behind. — Literary Hub, 27 Aug. 2026 Still, even with Ellison’s $111 billion WBD takeover plan under threat from a state attorneys general antitrust suit, $4 million and change is sofa detritus to the son of Larry Ellison. — Dominic Patten, Deadline, 21 Aug. 2026 This is where the Sora 70's surface-cleaning functionality came in handy, filling the filter basket with every floating bit of detritus and leaving the pool looking as if there had been no storm at all. — John Mihaly, PC Magazine, 17 Aug. 2026 The dirty sea near the city often carried this kind of detritus to the shore. — Cynthia Zarin, Harpers Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for detritus

Recent Examples of Synonyms for detritus

Noun

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle pledged another $8 million to continue clearing debris from south suburban areas affected by the August storms.

— Jeremy Gorner, Chicago Tribune, 9 Oct. 2026
The seemingly never-ending saga in the 600 block of Martel Avenue, just south of Melrose Avenue, came to a head in April 2024, when city crews removed seven tons of trash and debris that attracted rodents and a host of insects.

— CBS News, CBS News, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of debris

Noun

Two women in Zaporizhzhia died when they were trapped beneath the rubble of their home, Zaporizhzhia’s regional military administration said.

— ABC News, ABC News, 26 Sep. 2026
Rescue crews with a sniffer dog were searching the rubble for potentially missing people, the fire department said.

— Lefteris Pitarakis, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of rubble

Noun

Archaeologists and historians tell their stories from the ambition and ingenuity that made them, to the conflict and catastrophe that transformed them into the ruins of today.

— Max Goldbart, Deadline, 7 Oct. 2026
Gaza lies in ruins, with more than 74,000 Palestinians reported killed, yet many Israelis say the world overlooks their losses and rarely hear Palestinian voices.

— Cara Anna, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of ruins

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detriments

detritus

de trop

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“Detritus.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detritus. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of detritus

noun

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