Dictionary

debs en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (US) audio

Etymology

Clipping of debutante or debut + -s (hypocoristic suffix).

Meanings

1. (informal) A debutante ball or debut.
   • 'I had my debs there,' she said, 'four years ago last summer.' 2013, Danielle McLaughlin, “A Different Country”, in Declan Meade, editor, What's the Story?, Dublin: The Stinging Fly Press, published 2014, page 80:
   • David Maxwell, a member of the board of management of the school, said cars bringing teenagers to the debs were travelling in convoy and that friends and neighbours were first on the scene of the crash. 2023 August 1, Conor Lally, Sarah Burns, Ellen O'Donoghue, Fiachra Gallagher, Vivienne Clarke, “Monaghan crash: Clones mourners form guard of honour as remains of teenager killed on way to debs return home”, in The Irish Times, Dublin: Irish Times Trust, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 24 Dec 2023:
   • 'Ah, the debs!' I go. 'God, I could tell you some stories about my debs days. Like, for instance, the one where I went to two different debses on the same night. That's a famous one about me.' 2017, Ross O'Carroll-Kelly [pseudonym; Paul Howard], Operation Trumpsformation, London: Penguin Ireland, →ISBN, page 231:
2. (form-of, plural) plural of deb
   form of deb

Forms

Synonyms

deb