disasternoun [ C or U ]
uk/dɪˈzɑː.stər/us/dɪˈzæs.tɚ/B2 (an event that results in) great harm, damage, or death, or serious difficulty:
An inquiry was ordered into the recent rail disaster (= a serious train accident).
It would be a disaster for me if I lost my job.
This is one of the worst natural disasters ever to befall the area.
Heavy and prolonged rain can spell disaster for many plants.
Everything was going smoothly until suddenly disaster struck.
Inviting James and Ivan to dinner on the same evening was a recipe for disaster (= caused a very difficult situation) - they always argue with each other.
be a disaster B2 informal
to be very unsuccessful or extremely bad:
The evening was a complete disaster.
As an engineer, he was a disaster.
More examples
- The destruction of the rain forests is an ecological disaster.
- The plane narrowly avoided disaster when one of the engines cut out on take-off.
- Let us pray for the victims of this terrible disaster.
- News of the disaster shocked the whole world.
- Floods and earthquakes are natural disasters.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Accidents and disasters
- a knockout blow idiom
- accident
- accidental
- accidentally
- accidentally on purpose idiom
- banana skin
- calamity
- cataclysm
- catastrophe
- debacle
- disastrous
- emergency
- forest fire
- holocaust
- knockout
- meltdown
- misadventure
- snafu
- the devil to pay idiom
- tragedy
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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Failures