Meaning & use
debrief
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Meanings
verbtransitive
To question someone about a task or mission they have just finished, to get information.
Grammar: Takes an object: debrief the pilots.
Patterns
- debrief someone
- debrief someone on something
Officers debriefed the pilots after the flight.
The team was debriefed on the event.
Police debriefed the witness.
nouncountable
A meeting held to go over what happened after an event or task.
Grammar: Noun: stress on the second syllable also possible.
Patterns
- a debrief on something
We held a quick debrief after the game.
The debrief lasted an hour.
Join the team debrief at five.
Word forms
| third person singular | debriefs |
|---|---|
| past tense | debriefed |
| past participle | debriefed |
| -ing form | debriefing |
| plural | debriefs |
Common combinations
- debrief the team
- The manager debriefed the team.
- post-event debrief
- A post-event debrief is scheduled.
- quick debrief
- We had a quick debrief.
- debrief after
- They debrief after each mission.
Synonyms and how they differ
- interview
- Interview is more general.
- review
- Review focuses on assessing.
- question
- Question is simpler.
- quiz
- Quiz is informal.
Opposites
Word family
- debriefing noun
- a session of questioning after an event
- brief verb
- to give instructions beforehand
Commonly confused: debrief or brief?
debrief vs brief
To brief is to give instructions before, whereas to debrief is to review after.
Practice
After the mission, the commander will ___ the crew.
Choose one answer.
Debrief means question after an event; brief is before.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “debrief”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.