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.
The World Trade Center Health Program covers the cost of monitoring and treatment of these illnesses both for 9/11 responders and for people who lived, worked or attended school or day care in the disaster area. Aria Bendix, NBC news, 10 Sep. 2025 Water Mission, the Christian nonprofit organization behind the event, builds sustainable safe water and sanitation solutions for people in developing countries and disaster areas. Gloria Ngwa, Twin Cities, 6 Sep. 2025 One day, this robot could be launched from lunar landers to map steep crater walls on the moon or deployed from drones to survey post-disaster areas on Earth. Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 25 Aug. 2025 The average income in the disaster area ranges from $35,809 to $55,607, depending on the county, Edwards' report said. Carlos Waters, CNBC, 20 Aug. 2025 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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Disaster area.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/disaster%20area. Accessed 4 Oct. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!