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emergency

emergency

226 2.2
A government decision to use special powers and pause normal rules during a crisis
  • noun
  • /ɪˈmɜrdʒənsi/
  • Formal
translation icon : estado de emergencia
  • All parts of the country are now on an emergency footing.
  • a state of emergency
  • emergency powers
  • emergency law

Some folks, some folks are saying Trump doesn't need to declare an emergency at all.

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Examples

  • Then, on November 3, 2007, General Pervez Musharraf declared a state of emergency in Pakistan, suspending the constitution.

    Academic text (2008)
  • THE COUNCIL OF MINISTERS IS NOW IN EMERGENCY SESSION.

  • We are doing a great job at the border, but this is a national emergency, OK?

  • Yeah, the British government has declared a climate emergency and has committed us to net zero.

  • This is a state of emergency.

  • The governor of Missouri has called upon the President to declare a state of emergency.

  • This is an emergency!

  • The nation needed a musical distraction from the national emergency, and women gladly helped fill the musical void.

    Academic text (2008)
  • In light of the severe storm, the mayor declared a state of emergency for the entire city.

  • The school's emergency protocol includes plans for evacuating students during a natural disaster.

Synonyms

state of emergency
vsemergency
  • Formal
41 3.6

A situation when a government can use special powers after a disaster or riot

suspends normal procedures and allows extraordinary legal powers like martial law

Antonyms

363 3.1

Being steady and not likely to change

35 1.0

The usual or expected state

Idioms

If something dangerous or urgent happens, follow these instructions

Compounds

180 2.4

The hospital area where doctors immediately treat people with serious injuries or sudden illness

41 3.6

A situation when a government can use special powers after a disaster or riot

A plane landing that happens because of a sudden problem like engine failure or bad weather

A gathering called at short notice to deal with a serious problem

A special door or stairway that lets people leave a building quickly in an emergency

emergency medicine
  • Specialized
8 3.0

Care that finds and treats sudden serious illness or injury right away

A US government agency that coordinates help during disasters like hurricanes or floods

8 2.7

A hand brake that holds a parked car or stops it in an emergency

A box of food, water, and medicine kept for use during a disaster

A set of steps to follow in a sudden dangerous or medical situation to keep people safe

A phone number to call for help in an emergency, for example the police or an ambulance

A set of basic items you keep for use in an accident or disaster

Ways to send important information during a crisis to keep people safe

1 3.3

A national system that lets officials send emergency warnings on radio and television

A set of tools kept to fix sudden problems

An organization that helps children and mothers with health, education, and basic needs in poor countries

How Severe

martial law
  • Formal
37 7.7
emergency
  • Formal
226 2.2
alert
297 2.8
advisory
  • Literature
108 4.3

Surface Forms

emergency singular
emergencies plural

Morphology

emergency = emerge (semi-transparent) = emerge + ency

Built from 'emerge' + '-ency'; here the term has a conventional legal/political sense ('official state of suspension of normal procedures'), a specialized extension of the base idea.

Etymology

Emergency comes from the Latin word emergere, the same root as English emerge meaning 'to rise up', so when a government declares an emergency it is naming a fast, serious crisis that has 'come up' and needs special powers or rules to deal with it.