What does disaster mean?
Word: Disaster
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Disaster means a sudden event, such as a flood or an earthquake, that causes great damage or suffering; also something that goes very badly.
Synonyms: calamity, catastrophe
Antonyms: success, victory
How do you spell disaster?
Syllables: di - sas - ter
Tricky part: The ending is er, not or or ar, and the a in the middle is easy to swap for an e.
Watch out for: disastor, disastar
Memory tip: Thunder, a flood of water, disaster: big troubles that all end in er.
Idioms and Phrases
- a recipe for disaster: something likely to end very badly Example: "Cycling fast on a wet road is a recipe for disaster."
Disaster in a sentence
Example 1: The cyclone on the coast was a terrible disaster.
Example 2: My first attempt at making bread was a disaster.
Example 3: Schools hold drills so that children know what to do in a disaster.
Fun Fact
In Shakespeare's King Lear, a character laughs at people who blame their disasters on the sun, the moon and the stars.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the incorrectly spelt word:
a) rescue
b) desaster
c) shelter
d) emergency
Show answer
b) desaster. Disaster starts with dis, as disappear does.
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
dissaster
a) a
b) r
c) t
d) s
Show answer
d) s. Only one s comes before the a; the second s belongs after it.
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word:
disaster
a) reward
b) tragedy
c) holiday
d) triumph
Show answer
b) tragedy. A tragedy, like a disaster, brings great loss.
Mingle-Mangle
Form a meaningful word from the jumbled letters:
tsardise
a) dictates
b) distress
c) disease
d) disaster
Show answer
d) disaster. There is an a and an r here, so distress (no a) and disease (no r) fail, and dictates would need a c.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which one is a natural disaster?
a) a light breeze
b) a rainbow
c) a full moon
d) a landslide
Show answer
d) a landslide
2. After a cyclone, a disaster relief team arrives. What will it do?
a) bring food, water and medicines
b) plan the school sports day
c) count the votes in an election
d) build a new cricket stadium
Show answer
a) bring food, water and medicines
