Meaning & use
flying debris
Last updated
Meaning
noununcountable
Broken pieces of material that are thrown through the air by wind, an explosion or machinery and may hurt people.
Grammar: Uncountable with a singular verb: flying debris was everywhere.
Patterns
- hit by flying debris
- protect against flying debris
Residents were told to stay indoors to avoid flying debris.
A worker was struck by flying debris from the saw.
The windshield cracked when flying debris hit it.
Common combinations
- struck by flying debris
- The driver was struck by flying debris.
- protect against flying debris
- Goggles protect against flying debris.
- avoid flying debris
- Stay clear to avoid flying debris.
- injured by flying debris
- Two people were injured by flying debris.
- danger from flying debris
- The main danger came from flying debris.
Synonyms and how they differ
- shrapnel
- Shrapnel means fragments from an explosive device, so it is narrower than flying debris.
- fragments
- Fragments simply means broken pieces and does not say they are moving.
- rubble
- Rubble is broken stone and brick lying on the ground, not flying.
- wreckage
- Wreckage is the remains of something destroyed, usually in one place.
Word family
Commonly confused: flying debris or debris?
flying debris vs debris
Debris alone means any scattered broken remains, but flying debris stresses pieces moving through the air.
Practice
During the hurricane, people were warned about ______.
Choose one answer.
Debris is uncountable, so it has no plural and takes no article. The other options use wrong forms.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “flying debris”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.