state of emergency
41
3.6
- noun
- /steɪt əv ɪˈmɜrʤənsi/
- Formal
:
estado de emergencia
- Civil defense authorities have declared a state of emergency for all London areas within three miles of the River Thames.
- declare a state of emergency
- declaration of a state of emergency
- impose a state of emergency
I think you probably are going to get the state of emergency on the border.
- I think you probably are going to get the state of emergency on the border.
- So the military then tries to buy time and they say we're going to extend the state of emergency.
Examples
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Then, on November 3, 2007, General Pervez Musharraf declared a state of emergency in Pakistan, suspending the constitution.
Academic text (2008) -
The President has announced a state of emergency for California.
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We're in a state of emergency.
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This is a state of emergency.
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The Governor has declared a state of emergency.
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The mayor has declared a state of emergency and asked that the city be immediately evacuated.
Fiction book (1995) -
Governors in five states have now declared a state of emergency and are enforcing mandatory evacuation.
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Egypt's army says it will end the country's state of emergency when the current unrest ends.
Blog text (27) -
The President has announced a state of emergency for California.
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The Governor has declared a state of emergency in response to the severe flooding.
Synonyms
226
2.2
A government decision to use special powers and pause normal rules during a crisis
Antonyms
How Severe
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is directly compositional: 'state' (political authority) + 'of' (linker) + 'emergency' (urgent crisis) yields 'a condition of emergency relating to the state/government.' This construction is cross-linguistically common (e.g. Spanish 'estado de emergencia', French 'état d'urgence') and so a B1 learner who knows the parts will very likely infer the intended meaning.
Etymology
State of emergency comes from a clear image: when the state (the government) faces a sudden emergency like a big flood or violent unrest, it sets aside normal rules so it can act quickly. So a 'state of emergency' means the government can use 'special measures' to restore safety, even if that limits some normal freedoms.