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disaster

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noun [countable/uncountable] British English pronunciation: disaster /dɪˈzɑːstə(r)/ 
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singulardisaster
pluraldisasters
Other entries for this word
  1. 1
    something very bad that happens and causes a lot of damage or kills a lot of people

    A series of disasters forced the company to close down.

    a natural disaster:

    Protect your property from natural disasters such as flooding.

    disaster strikes (=a disaster happens):

    Disaster struck when the plane's engine exploded shortly after take-off.

    end in disaster:

    The expedition ended in disaster, with three people being killed.

    be a disaster for/spell disaster for (=have a very bad effect on):

    More bad weather would spell disaster for this year's wheat crop.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of disaster
  2. 2
    something that is annoying or a failure, but is not really very bad

    a series of disasters in the kitchen

    My carefully planned party had been a complete disaster.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of disaster

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