débâcle — meaning in English
French → English · translate English → French instead
English meaning
Senses
débâcle is used for these senses in English:
- debacle (figurative) An event or enterprise that ends suddenly and disastrously, often with humiliating consequences. [from early 19th c.]
- debacle (geology) A breaking up of a natural dam, usually made of ice, by a river and the ensuing rush of water.
- rout (originally, military) The act of completely defeating an army or other enemy force, causing it to retreat in a disorganized manner; (by extension) in politics, sport, etc.: a convincing defeat; a thrashing, a trouncing.
rout — full definition
- noun A crushing, disorganized defeat.
- verb To defeat an opponent so thoroughly that they scatter or retreat in disorder.
- verb To dig out or carve a groove into a surface, or to search through something thoroughly.