Definition

1. floating wreckage of a ship or its cargo; broadly: floating debris

2a. floating population (as of emigrants or castaways)

b. miscellaneous or unimportant material

c. debris, remains

(Ref: Merriam-Webster Online, Word of the day, 12 May 2020)

Use it in a sentence

‘Shall we see if there’s any flotsam on the beach after last night’s storm?’

She raised her eyebrows. ‘That’s sounds like a very Boy Scout thing to do.’

He laughed and shucked his head. Things were starting to get back to normal between them, but they were somewhat still reserved with each other, at pains to be polite. ‘We don’t have to.’

‘Actually, I think “flotsam” sounds like a 19th century maid’s name. Like Daisy or Bessy. I can just hear it – “Flotsam, tend to my muddy boots at once, there’s a girl. But first, fetch the tea”’.

He snorted. ‘And that sounds like a very romantic school girl thing to say’. He glanced sideways quickly, to check if he’d offended her. It happened to both of them so easily these days. But he caught a small, wry smile on her lips.

‘Well, what shall we do then? Look for flotsam or have tea?’ She sounded playful in a way that she hadn’t for a long time.

‘Maybe both?’

She turned to look at him then. Eye contact was still fraught, but she looked at him and nodded. ‘Let’s do both then’. They held the eye contact for a long moment and smiled at one another.