disaster

6 definitions • 15 examples

(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).

disaster for It would be a disaster for me if I lost my job.

natural disaster This is one of the worst natural disasters ever to befall the area.

spell disaster for Heavy and prolonged rain can spell disaster for many plants.

disaster strikes Everything was going smoothly until suddenly disaster struck.

recipe for disaster 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.

to be very unsuccessful or extremely bad:

The evening was a complete disaster.

an event causing great harm, damage, or suffering:

[ C/U ] financial disaster

[ U ] disaster aid/relief

[ C ] Over 100 people died in the disaster.

[ C ] The hurricane may be the costliest natural disaster in US history.

fig. A disaster is also a complete failure:

[ C ] Our last dinner party was an absolute disaster.

a sudden event that causes a lot of damage, such as a very bad fire, storm, or accident:

Insurance companies often charge extra to cover floods, earthquakes, or other natural disasters.

an extremely bad situation that can destroy a company’s plans, success, or ability to operate:

mean/spell disaster for sb A crash in real estate prices would mean financial disaster for the housing lenders.

The $7.48 billion takeover quickly turned into a major disaster.