noun
debacle
day-BAH-kuhl
noun
1
A sudden, humiliating failure or collapse.
"The product launch turned into a total debacle when the app crashed on stage."
"Losing the final by ten goals was a debacle nobody saw coming."
How to Use Debacle
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA disaster, especially one that is embarrassing as well as damaging.
Common mistake
Keep the accent-free English spelling "debacle" — the French débâcle accents are dropped in everyday English use.
Common pairings
a complete debacle
end in debacle
a public debacle
Word Forms
debacles plural
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The product launch turned into a total _____ when the app crashed on stage.
Etymology
From French débâcle ("a breaking up" or "unleashing"), from débâcler, "to unbar" — originally used for ice breaking up on a river and the flood that followed.