catastrophe – a sudden event that causes very great trouble or destruction ; a disaster

(Pronounced kuh-ta-struh-fee)

To remember the definition of the word catastrophe, use the following mnemonic:

The cat has a trophy (catastrophe) for being the coolest cat ever, but she dropped it. It happened suddenly and caused the total destruction of the trophy. 

Examples of catastrophe in a sentence

The dam breaking would be a catastrophe for the town. 

Their current strategy was leading them towards catastrophe. 

The heist was nothing short of a catastrophe.