disaster/dIˋzæstɚ; dIˈzɑːstə/n [C,U]1 an event such as an accident, flood, or storm that causes a lot of harm or suffering 灾难﹐灾祸﹔灾害: an air disaster in which 329 people died 造成 329 人丧生的一场空难ecological/environmental/natural etc disaster The drought was the worst natural disaster this century. 这次旱灾是本世纪最为严重的一次自然灾害。the Chernobyl nuclear disaster 切尔诺贝利核灾难The country is on the edge of economic disaster . 这个国家处于经济灾难的边缘。+for The flood could spell disaster for wildlife (=cause a lot of harm in the future). 这场大洪水可能给野生生物带来灾难。see box at见 ACCIDENT 方框2 something that is a complete failure 灾难﹐不幸﹐彻底失败: Our Christmas party was a complete disaster . 我们的圣诞晚宴彻底搞砸了。