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

At the start of the month, Opta’s supercomputer considered this all but a coronation for Arsenal, assigning them a 97 per cent chance of ending their 22-year title drought. —Mark Carey, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2026

The three-year drought was the longest in six decades, since the Aztecs went from 1956-62 without a player being picked. —Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Apr. 2026

Widespread drought in the Southeast is largely to blame for the fires, but their spread has also been fueled by leftover debris from past hurricanes that swept across the region — an issue that also has connections to climate change. —Denise Chow, NBC news, 24 Apr. 2026

Most of the Philadelphia area is in a moderate drought, but pockets of Chester, Berks and Lancaster counties are under what is considered severe drought. —Bill Kelly, CBS News, 24 Apr. 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