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

• 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

Now, under Hugo Broos, Bafana Bafana stand on the brink of ending that long drought. —Sindiswa Mabunda, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025

The color display can also be influenced by precipitation; excessive rainfall and severe drought are bad for foliage. —Janet Loehrke, USA Today, 8 Sep. 2025

Plants have good heat and drought tolerance, but flowering often wanes in the summer months. —Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 8 Sep. 2025

On Tuesday, 85 scientists released a 459-page rebuttal to the DOE report, highlighting a large body of scientific literature pointing to how climate change can exacerbate droughts, floods, crop failures, and other disasters. —Robert Schmad, The Washington Examiner, 7 Sep. 2025

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