Natural Disasters | Intermediate Vocabulary

Learn English online for free - natural disaster vocabulary lesson cover

Describing Natural Disasters in English

Natural disasters are catastrophic events caused by natural phenomena such as earthquakes, hurricanes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, and tornadoes, among others. These events can have devastating impacts on communities, including loss of life, damage to property and infrastructure, and disruption of essential services. Natural disasters can be triggered by a variety of factors such as tectonic plate movement, severe weather patterns, or volcanic activity, and their effects can be magnified by factors such as population growth and urbanization.

Learn 14 words to describe natural disasters

Use these flashcards to learn the meaning of the terms for this unit. You can also practice the pronunciation by listening to the audio on each card.

Practice Exercises for Natural Disaster Vocabulary

Exercise 1 – Play this game to review the vocabulary terms

Exercise 2 – Practice using the vocabulary in context

Exercise 3 – Speaking activity

To do this activity, you must use the Google Chrome web browser. You also must give permission to use your microphone.


Exercise 1

Exercise 2

Exercise 3

To do this activity, you must use the Google Chrome web browser. You also must give permission to use your microphone.


Vocabulary Quiz

Let us review the vocabulary terms about natural disasters

TermPart of speechDefinition
disasternounsomething (such as a flood, tornado, fire, plane crash, etc.) that happens suddenly and causes much suffering 
violentadjvery forceful or intense
suddenadjhappening, coming, or done very quickly in a way that is usually not expected
damagenounphysical harm that is done to something
destroyverbto cause (something) to end or no longer exist
volcanonouna mountain with a hole in the top or side that sometimes sends out rocks, ash, lava, etc.
earthquakenouna shaking of a part of the Earth’s surface that often causes great damage
collapseverbto break apart and fall down suddenly
evacuateverbto remove (someone) from a dangerous place
trapnouna bad position or situation from which it is difficult to escape
floodnouna large amount of water covering an area of land that is usually dry
rescueverbto save (someone or something) from danger or harm
suppliesnounthings (such as food, equipment, fuel, etc.) that are needed for a particular purpose
hurricanenounan extremely large, powerful, and destructive storm