disaster area

noun

: an area officially declared to be the scene of an emergency created by a disaster and therefore qualified to receive certain types of governmental aid (such as emergency loans and relief supplies)

Examples of disaster area in a Sentence

After the hurricane, the state was declared a disaster area. His office is a disaster area. How can he find anything in all this clutter?
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Colorado’s bullpen, a disaster area of late, put the Cubs away with relative ease. — Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 10 June 2026 The government deployed the military to the disaster areas not to help but to diffuse any expression of public discontent. — Gisela Salim-Peyer, The Atlantic, 1 July 2026 The county was declared a disaster area by state officials and President Ronald Reagan. — Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 22 Apr. 2026 If the collision occurs in Europe, a country like France will disappear completely from the map, and the entire continent will become an unimaginable disaster area. — Govert Schilling, Scientific American, 27 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for disaster area

Word History

First Known Use

1911, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of disaster area was in 1911

Rhymes for disaster area

See All Rhymes for disaster area

Browse Nearby Words

disaster
disaster area
disaster relief
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Disaster area.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/disaster%20area. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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