Word
disaster
Phoneticsdis·as·ter
US/dɪˈzæstɝ/
UK/dˌɪsˈɑːstɐ/
Definitions
01a catastrophe
n. a sudden event that causes great damage, such as a flood, fire, or earthquake.
n. a sudden accident or a natural catastrophe that causes great damage or loss of life.
“The earthquake was a terrible disaster that destroyed many homes in the city.”
“The humanitarian agency provided immediate relief to the victims of the natural disaster, focusing on clean water and temporary shelter.”
Synonyms
02a total failure
n. something that goes very wrong or is a complete failure.
n. an event or situation that is a complete failure or causes great disappointment.
“The party was a disaster because nobody showed up and the food was cold.”
“The product launch was a total disaster, as the software crashed repeatedly during the live demonstration in front of the press.”
Informal
03skateboarding trick
n. a specific trick where a skater turns 180 degrees and lands the middle of the board on an edge.
n. a maneuver involving a 180-degree ollie, landing with the center of the deck on the coping of a ramp.
“He practiced the disaster on the half-pipe until he could land it perfectly.”
“The skater executed a flawless frontside disaster, balancing precariously on the lip before dropping back into the transition.”
Technical
Etymology
From Middle French desastre, from Italian disastro, from dis- + astro (“star”), from Latin astrum (“star”), from Ancient Greek ἄστρον (ástron, “star”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂stḗr.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Collocations
Word family
Idioms
recipe for disaster — A plan that sounds as though it will end disastrously.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/disaster