disaster

disaster
di|sas|ter
W3S2 [dıˈza:stə US dıˈzæstər] n [U and C]
[Date: 1500-1600; : French; Origin: désastre, from Italian disastro, from astro 'star' (from the idea of luck coming from the stars)]
1.) a sudden event such as a flood, storm, or accident which causes great damage or suffering
▪ One hundred and twenty people died in China's worst air disaster .
▪ the economic consequences of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster
disaster for
▪ The oil spill was a disaster for Alaskan sea animals.
▪ The 1987 hurricane was the worst natural disaster to hit England for decades.
▪ Their expedition nearly ended in disaster , when one of the climbers slid off the mountain.
▪ The drought could spell disaster for wildlife.
▪ Disaster struck when two men were killed during their parachute jumps.
▪ The peace process was on the brink of disaster .
▪ Luckily the pilot saw the other plane just in time, and a disaster was narrowly averted .
2.) something that is very bad or a failure, especially when this is very annoying or disappointing
sth is a complete/total/disaster
▪ Because of the weather, the parade was a total disaster.
▪ The evening was an unmitigated disaster (=a complete failure) .
disaster for
▪ The cuts in funding will be a disaster for the schools.
▪ Five small boys on skis is a recipe for disaster (=is very likely to end badly) .
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COLLOCATES for sense 1
air disaster
nuclear disaster
natural disaster (=caused by nature)
ecological/environmental disaster (=one that causes great damage to nature)
end in disaster
spell disaster (=mean that there will be disaster)
disaster strikes (=it happens)
on the brink of disaster
prevent/avert a disaster
something is a disaster waiting to happen
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Dictionary of contemporary English. 2013.

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Synonyms:
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Look at other dictionaries:

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  • disaster — di‧sas‧ter [dɪˈzɑːstə ǁ dɪˈzæstər] noun [countable, uncountable] 1. a sudden event such as a flood, storm, or accident which causes great damage or suffering: • 100 people died in the mining disaster. • Hurricane Katrina was the worst natural… …   Financial and business terms

  • disaster — disaster, calamity, catastrophe, cataclysm are comparable when they denote an event or situation that is regarded as a terrible misfortune. A disaster is an unforeseen mischance or misadventure (as a shipwreck, a serious railroad accident, or the …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • Disaster — Dis*as ter, n. [F. d[ e]sastre; pref. d[ e]s (L. dis ) + astre star, fr. L. astrum; a word of astrological origin. See {Aster}, {Astral}, {Star}.] 1. An unpropitious or baleful aspect of a planet or star; malevolent influence of a heavenly body;… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • disaster — I noun adversity, affliction, bale, bane, blight, blunder, breakdown, brutum fulmen, calamitas, calamity, casualty, cataclysm, catastrophe, clades, collapse, contretemps, crushing reverse, deabacle, devastation, downfall, emergency, extremity,… …   Law dictionary

  • disaster — [di zas′tər, dizäs′tər; ] also [ dis as′tər, disäs′tər] n. [OFr desastre < It disastro < L dis + astrum < Gr astron (see ASTRAL), star: from astrological notions: cf. ILL STARRED] any happening that causes great harm or damage; serious… …   English World dictionary

  • Disaster — Dis*as ter, v. t. 1. To blast by the influence of a baleful star. [Obs.] Sir P. Sidney. [1913 Webster] 2. To bring harm upon; to injure. [R.] Thomson. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • disaster — 1590s, from M.Fr. désastre (1560s), from It. disastro ill starred, from dis , here merely pejorative (see DIS (Cf. dis )) + astro star, planet, from L. astrum, from Gk. astron (see STAR (Cf. star)). The sense is astrological, of a calamity blamed …   Etymology dictionary

  • disaster — [n] accident, trouble act of God*, adversity, affliction, bad luck, bad news*, bale, bane, blight, blow, bust, calamity, casualty, cataclysm, catastrophe, collapse, collision, crash, debacle, defeat, depression, emergency, exigency, failure, fall …   New thesaurus

  • disaster — ► NOUN 1) a sudden accident or a natural catastrophe that causes great damage or loss of life. 2) an event or fact leading to ruin or failure. ORIGIN Italian disastro ill starred event , from Latin astrum star …   English terms dictionary

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