Chernobyl

American  

[chur-noh-buhl, chyir-naw-bil] / tʃɜrˈnoʊ bəl, tʃjɪrˈnɔ bɪl /

noun

1. a city in northern Ukraine, 80 miles (129 km) northwest of Kyiv: nuclear-plant accident 1986.

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Chernobyl British  

/ tʃɜːˈnəʊbəl, -ˈnɒbəl /

noun

1. a town in N Ukraine; site of a nuclear power station accident in 1986

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Chernobyl Cultural  

1. A place in Ukraine where a nuclear power plant — a generator powered by a nuclear reactor — underwent a meltdown in 1986. A cloud of radioactive gases spread throughout the region of Chernobyl and to foreign countries as well. Forty thousand people living nearby were evacuated. Dozens of deaths and hundreds of illnesses were reported to have been caused by the accident. (Compare Three Mile Island (see also Three Mile Island).)

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Compare meaning

How does chernobyl compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• Chernobyl vs. Three Mile Island

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Chernobyl

He headed a unit conducting operations behind enemy lines in Chernobyl after Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, and participated in many battles in eastern Ukraine, according to his official biography.

From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026

It all came together and yielded a little societal Chernobyl.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026

Instead of enlisting surrogates to push an uplifting vision for L.A.’s future, Pratt elevates those who speak of the city as a West Coast Chernobyl.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 19, 2026

Their apparent beef, which has been speculated about by very online people and, weirdly, business reporters, is now “Weekend Update” fodder, with the women comparing their fight to a “literal Chernobyl for white women.”

From Los Angeles Times ● May 3, 2026

They feared that Fukushima might become a repeat of the accident at Chernobyl.

From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland