ENGLISH DICTIONARY

Debacle

Definition, Meaning & Examples

Pronunciation /deɪˈbɑː.kəl/ · Part of speech noun

Quick meaning: Debacle is a noun meaning (figurative) An event or enterprise that ends suddenly and disastrously, often with humiliating consequences.

Meaning

(figurative) An event or enterprise that ends suddenly and disastrously, often with humiliating consequences.

More Meanings

  1. (geology) A breaking up of a natural dam, usually made of ice, by a river and the ensuing rush of water.

Example Sentences

The event proved to be a great debacle for the partisans of this prognosticator.
The result is a military approach which maximizes political tensions with Russia […] and lays the ground for a military debacle.
For several months after the debacle just described, the river Dranse, having no settled channel, shifted its position continually […]
The BP Prudhoe Bay debacle [the Prudhoe Bay oil spill] thus provides but the latest in a long line of reasons why leasing this region of the NPR-A is a bad idea.

Word Forms

Synonyms for debacle

Depending on context, synonyms include fiasco, thrashing, whipping, slaughter, walloping, drubbing.

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include fiasco, walloping, drubbing, thrashing, whipping, slaughter.

Related Dictionary Tools

Sources & Attribution

FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0

Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.