disaster waiting to happen

noun

Something potentially very dangerous or likely to fail.

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Meanings

noundisaster waiting to happen (plural disasters waiting to happen)

plural disasters waiting to happen

  1. Something potentially very dangerous or likely to fail.

Origin

Attested 1940s, apparently modeled after accident waiting to happen.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

disaster waiting to happen. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/disaster%20waiting%20to%20happen

MLA

“disaster waiting to happen.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/disaster%20waiting%20to%20happen. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “disaster waiting to happen,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/disaster%20waiting%20to%20happen.

Source: disaster waiting to happen on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.