Meaning of disaster in English:

disaster

Pronunciation /dɪˈzɑːstə/

Translate disaster into Spanish

noun

1A sudden accident or a natural catastrophe that causes great damage or loss of life.
‘159 people died in the disaster’
- ‘disaster struck within minutes of take-off’
- ‘Hurricane Katrina will be the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history by a factor of five.’
- ‘The horrific devastation caused by this tsunami may be the worst natural disaster in recent history.’
- ‘And President Bush is offering U.S. aid and condolences to people affected by the Asian tsunami disaster.’
- ‘Similar ecological disasters have occurred in other parts of the world too.’
- ‘Whenever a major disaster strikes, the public is confronted with all sorts of unpleasantness.’
- ‘"We did have a disaster recovery plan in place, " Bob says.’
- ‘When Mozambique was struck by a flood disaster in 1999, over a million people lost their homes.’
- ‘The pilots managed to avert a total disaster by using the engine's throttles to steer the plane.’
- ‘The Hatfield rail disaster occurred while Hall was working on his adaptation, and it shows.’
- ‘Facing a disaster of such magnitude, understandably the government was unprepared and initially lost touch.’
- ‘Technically, the rescued worms were not the worms that survived the shuttle disaster.’
- ‘In 1957 a train disaster affected the lives of many people who lived in south London and Kent.’
- ‘A disaster of this magnitude is one of those defining moments in local television.’
- ‘Does it take a disaster of these proportions to convince us all to give so freely?’
- ‘But clearly, a disaster of a proportion he had never had to deal with was unfolding.’
- ‘Our topic was inspired by the extensive news coverage of the space shuttle disaster.’
- ‘Pete has a meditation on the space shuttle disaster.’
- ‘You know, we just don't cope with disasters on this scale.’
- ‘A disaster on the scale of 9/11 or hurricane Katrina disturbs all certainties.’
- ‘Children are those who are most prone to disasters like earthquake, fire and flood.’
catastrophe, calamity, cataclysm, tragedy, act of God, holocaust
View synonyms
1. 1.1as modifier Denoting a genre of films that use natural or accidental catastrophe as the mainspring of plot and setting.
  ‘a disaster movie’
  ‘This disc is worth at least a rental, and if you're a fan of disaster type flicks, a purchase.’
  ‘It felt like trespassing onto the film set of a disaster movie.’
  ‘It's only a matter of time before we're treated to a World Trade Center disaster film.’
  ‘At that time, we were doing Goddard and Fellini at film school and we weren't into Irvin Allen's disaster films.’
  ‘It starts where such disaster movies always should: what if you woke up one day and everyone else had gone?’
  ‘It is a situation that outdoes any Hollywood disaster movie script in drama, surreality, and potential horror.’
  ‘Not being a connoisseur of disaster movies, I'll leave it to others to decide if it's a good film.’
  ‘I feel like a bit part player in a cheesy American disaster movie, only this time Bruce Willis didn't show up.’
  ‘If you like cheesy disaster movies and idealistic costume drama, this is the hybrid for you!’
  ‘Like the moment in seminal disaster movie Twister when the tornado vanishes in a whisper, the fight was over.’
  ‘I became frustrated that the only comparisons and references my brain threw up were of disaster movies.’
  ‘Until last Sunday, such incidents were largely confined to Hollywood disaster movies.’
  ‘Well, sure, cliched and formulaic is pretty standard for disaster movies generally.’
  ‘We are used to Hollywood disaster movies, but this has been far worse, for real.’
  ‘I felt like I was in some cheesy disaster movie, debating who got to sacrifice their life for the safety of the others.’
  ‘But there is a real life disaster movie in the offing - so we better start acting.’
  ‘He is one of the most talented figures in the history of matte painting and a central figure in the disaster films of the 70s.’
  ‘Like the best disaster film that's never been made, but no hero to give us the happy ending.’
  ‘Perhaps it was a mistake for 20th Century Fox to invite a group of scientists to the preview of its new disaster movie.’
  ‘It did seem at times like a disaster movie we'd been through before.’
2. 1.2An event or fact that has unfortunate consequences.
  ‘a string of personal disasters’
  ‘reduced legal aid could spell financial disaster’
  ‘But a series of personal disasters and financial ruin triggered a mental disorder that was to turn the father of two into a killer.’
  ‘The suite contains the computers and equipment necessary to help a small business function in the event of a company disaster.’
  ‘It was recognised as such by the Iraqi people, but the subsequent handling of events was a disaster.’
  ‘National members face a disaster, in fact, as they try to explain what it is they intend to do.’
  ‘But as his career took off, the personal disasters continued to mount.’
  ‘Since then I've seen two financial disasters and a terrible fire.’
  ‘Three of the properties so far have been financial disasters.’
  ‘So lets forget my own personal disasters and get on with the business at hand, that is voting on tomorrows story, start voting now.’
  ‘Will the new members fall in line, or will they team up with France and Spain to maintain these hideous financial disasters?’
  ‘I know about previous squabbles and financial disasters that affected the club.’
  ‘It has got me into trouble in the past and I'm never far away from having mini financial disasters.’
  ‘Critics argue it was only Lottery money and government cash that prevented the Games from being a financial disaster.’
  ‘Nor is the bank rushing blindly into disaster in the event of a bid succeeding.’
  ‘Unfortunately, data disasters are more likely to occur on systems relying on older or used hardware.’
  ‘The financial disasters are directly traceable to the cultural and ideological catastrophes which these films represent.’
  ‘After a decade marked by financial disasters and bank failures, the era of unquestioned profit-making would appear to be at an end.’
  ‘For the less strong, it can be a torment and a prelude to personal disaster.’
  ‘One type would work in a coaching role and the other act as a referee in the firm to prevent Scottish businesses from suffering Enron style disasters.’
  ‘Fears may be exaggerated, but unless companies are completely open, they face potential PR disasters ahead.’
  ‘The university had a public relations disaster on its hands.’
3. 1.3 informal A person or thing that is a complete failure.
  ‘lunch had turned out to be a total disaster’
  ‘And it was fine for all the media celebs to go to a ball game but it was a total disaster for Kerry to do so.’
  ‘He's had a very hard time. His current situation is a total disaster.’
  ‘Maize, a relatively new crop, is looking like a total disaster, according to Mr Dempsey.’
  ‘They will have to believe that they do because it's their last chance of ensuring that their season is not a total disaster.’
  ‘Would there be any way of getting rid of them if they were a total disaster?’
  ‘Still, he thought watching mummy play hopscotch was hilarious, so it wasn't a total disaster.’
  ‘On Saturday, I picked up some cool rocket balloons for the kids which turned out to be a total disaster.’
  ‘Last time I attempted the gym it was a total disaster.’
  ‘It might be that the first idea was a total disaster and if so drop it and move on.’
  ‘I was a total disaster in the shop and I realised that I was going to have to do something else.’
  ‘That dinner turned into a total disaster and for one whole month, she was in grief.’
  ‘India's reply was a total disaster, with wickets falling too rapidly due to run-outs.’
  ‘Because as we all know, this Budget has been a total disaster for the Labour Government.’
  ‘This is a very sad collection of songs put together, but what was a second rate band in their heyday is a total disaster today.’
  ‘But how else can I understand the fact that my panel session was a total disaster?’
  ‘I went on my first date in 7 years 2 weeks ago - what a total, unmitigated disaster!’
  ‘He, of course, is far worse, a disaster in the making.’
  ‘Your mayoralty has been from start ' till now a disaster in the making.’
  failure, fiasco, catastrophe, mess, debacle
  View synonyms