landslides
Mountains suddenly moving
Landslides are masses of rock, earth, or debris that slide down a slope, often triggered by heavy rain, earthquakes, or erosion.
The word extends to overwhelming victories, especially in elections: She won by a landslide.
Both senses share the image of something massive and unstoppable sweeping everything before it.
Seismic ground movement
- rainfallWater falling from clouds
- deforestationLarge-scale woodland elimination
- erosionGradual wearing away
- floodingOverwhelming water accumulation
monsoon · hurricane · snowmelt · overgrazing · excavation · mining · construction · vibration
Scattered broken fragments
- rockfallCollapsed cliff material
- mudslideFlowing mass of wet soil
- slopeAngled terrain or steepness
- terrainLand's physical features
hillside · mountainside · bedrock · fault · sediment · strata · clay · shale
Extended period of decline
- flowUnbroken forward movement
- creepStealthy, slow movement
- avalancheRapid mountain snow collapse
- collapseSudden structural failure
cascade · tumble · plunge · shift · slip · surge · rotational · translational
Defeating an opponent
- mandateFormal authoritative directive
- majorityOver half of total
- sweepBrush clean with broom
- blowoutSudden tire failure
rout · dominance · margin · overwhelming · decisive · trouncing · triumph · drubbing
Removal from danger
- fatalitiesLosses of life
- devastationSevere widespread destruction
- displacementRemoval from usual location
- rescueSave from harm
relief · aftermath · emergency · survivors · recovery · humanitarian · shelter · crisis
earthquake
Seismic ground movement
- rainfallWater falling from clouds
- deforestationLarge-scale woodland elimination
- erosionGradual wearing away
flooding · monsoon · hurricane · snowmelt · overgrazing · excavation · mining · construction · vibration · saturation
debris
Scattered broken fragments
terrain · hillside · mountainside · bedrock · fault · sediment · strata · clay · shale · groundwater
slump
Extended period of decline
collapse · cascade · tumble · plunge · shift · slip · surge · rotational · translational · rockslide
victory
Defeating an opponent
blowout · rout · dominance · margin · overwhelming · decisive · trouncing · triumph · drubbing · shellacking
evacuation
Removal from danger
- fatalitiesLosses of life
- devastationSevere widespread destruction
- displacementRemoval from usual location
rescue · relief · aftermath · emergency · survivors · recovery · humanitarian · shelter · crisis · burial
- Earth processesplate tectonics, erosion, weathering, volcanism, sedimentation
- forest damageforest fire, forest fires, wildfires, bark beetle, bark beetles
- geohazardsrockslide, mudslide, mudflow, subsidence, earthflow
- disastersdisaster, earthquake, earthquakes, catastrophe, floods
- earth scienceatmosphere, earthquake, geology, volcano, crust
- Natural Processesphotosynthesis, decomposition, evaporation, erosion, carbon cycle
landslidessqueakers
Barely-won competitions
nail-biters · photo finishes · contested elections · dead heats · recounts
- by a landslideWinning by huge margin
- landslide victoryOverwhelming electoral triumph
- landslide victoriesOverwhelming electoral wins