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# catastrophe

«catastrophe» in Mova's school dictionary: **A sudden terrible event that causes great damage or…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples.

### part of speech

noun (a catastrophe, catastrophes); adjective catastrophic

### meaning for a pupil

1) A sudden terrible event that causes great damage or suffering, like an earthquake or flood. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/catastrophe/#m1)

2) (informal) Something that goes very badly wrong. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/catastrophe/#m2)

### sense in the lessons

In geography and history lessons it describes natural disasters and wars; in everyday talk it can be a joking exaggeration ("the cake was a catastrophe"). Phrases: "a natural catastrophe", "end in catastrophe", "avert a catastrophe".

### examples

- The flood was a catastrophe for the town. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/catastrophe/#x1)
- Scientists warn that the dam could fail and cause a catastrophe. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/catastrophe/#x2)
- The volcano eruption was a catastrophe for Pompeii. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/catastrophe/#x3)
- Our science fair project was a total catastrophe. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/catastrophe/#x4)
- Quick action prevented a catastrophe. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/catastrophe/#x5)
- Forgetting the tickets would be a catastrophe! [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/catastrophe/#x6)
- Such a catastrophe nearly happened to the young Englishman. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/catastrophe/#x7)

### note

Pronounced "ka-TAS-truh-fee" with four syllables; the final e is said. Plural: catastrophes. Adjective: catastrophic.

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «catastrophe» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/catastrophe/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.