drought

noun

ˈdrau̇t 

variants or less commonly drouth

ˈdrau̇th 

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

droughtiness

ˈdrau̇-tē-nəs 

noun

droughty

ˈdrau̇-tē

adjective

Synonyms of drought

• shortage
• lack

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

That’s high praise from one who has coached four Hall of Famers and several more who are destined to be so, but this team broke an eight-year championship drought last season and, despite the loss of superstar Paige Bueckers, didn’t skip a beat this year. —Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 30 Mar. 2026

What's likely to remain consistent across the West is drier-than-normal weather, adding to an ongoing drought and record-low snowpack across the West. —Kyle Reiman, ABC News, 29 Mar. 2026

The Arizona Wildcats snapped their Final Four drought on Saturday night with an Elite Eight victory over Purdue in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. —Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 29 Mar. 2026

Cattle ranchers are dealing with drought, disease and high feed costs. —Jim Cramer, CNBC, 29 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English drūgath, from drūgian to dry up; akin to Old English drȳge dry — more at dry

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for drought

• bout
• clout
• doubt
• flout
• gout
• grout
• kraut
• lout
• out
• pout
• rout
• scout

Kids Definition

drought

noun

variants also drouth

ˈdrau̇t 

ˈdrau̇th

: a long period of dry weather

droughty

-ē

adjective