variants
or less commonly drouth
1
: a period of dryness especially when prolonged
specifically
: one that causes extensive damage to crops or prevents their successful growth
resistant to drought
2
: a prolonged or chronic shortage or lack of something expected or desired
a drought of creativity
droughty
adjective
ˈdrau̇-tē
Examples of drought in a Sentence
The drought caused serious damage to crops.
a period of drought that lasted several years
Recent Examples on the Web
Gabriel Vilardi tied his career high with his 27th goal of the season and won the game in a shootout, captain Adam Lowry ended his lengthy scoring drought and the Winnipeg Jets ended their three-game losing streak by beating the New York Rangers 3-2 on Sunday.
—
CBS News, 22 Mar. 2026
The river supplies drinking water and irrigation to tens of millions of people across the West, but the system that divides its water, based on agreements more than a century old, is under increasing strain after years of drought and declining reservoir levels.
—Amalia Roy, FOXNews.com, 22 Mar. 2026
Snow droughts often develop from dry weather patterns that starve the West of any significant precipitation during the winter, said Dan McEvoy, a climatologist at the Desert Research Institute and Western Regional Climate Center.
—Mira Rojanasakul, New York Times, 21 Mar. 2026
Centennial finally broke the drought in the 62nd minute when Andie Hafner found Mardie Frye for the goal and 1-0 lead.
—Darren Lauber, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 21 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for drought
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
CBS News, 22 Mar. 2026
The river supplies drinking water and irrigation to tens of millions of people across the West, but the system that divides its water, based on agreements more than a century old, is under increasing strain after years of drought and declining reservoir levels.
—Amalia Roy, FOXNews.com, 22 Mar. 2026
Snow droughts often develop from dry weather patterns that starve the West of any significant precipitation during the winter, said Dan McEvoy, a climatologist at the Desert Research Institute and Western Regional Climate Center.
—Mira Rojanasakul, New York Times, 21 Mar. 2026
Centennial finally broke the drought in the 62nd minute when Andie Hafner found Mardie Frye for the goal and 1-0 lead.
—Darren Lauber, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 21 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for drought
Cite this Entry
“Drought.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/drought. Accessed 24 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
drought
noun
variants
also drouth
ˈdrau̇t 
ˈdrau̇th
: a long period of dry weather
droughty
adjective
-ē
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
