1
: an extreme scarcity of food
The famine affected most of the country.
2
archaic
: starvation
3
archaic
: a ravenous appetite
4
: a great shortage
Transportation problems resulted in a coal famine.
Examples of famine in a Sentence
The famine affected half the continent.
millions killed by war, drought, and famine
Recent Examples on the Web
Many top sponsors dread the prospect of having their name or logo surface alongside images of war, famine or natural disasters.
—
Brian Steinberg, Variety, 23 July 2025
Those 1985 multi-artist shows in London and Philadelphia — which raised the equivalent of $450 million in today’s currency for African famine relief and boasted lineups full of legends and icons of the MTV era (U2, Madonna, Duran Duran) — aimed big and worked better than anyone could have expected.
—David Browne, Rolling Stone, 22 July 2025
As part of the package, Trump asked lawmakers to rescind about $8.3 billion in foreign aid programs that aim to fight famine and disease and promote global stability.
—Kevin Freking, Chicago Tribune, 18 July 2025
At the time, Mao was on the back foot politically after his disastrous Great Leap Forward, an industrialization campaign in which as many as 45 million people perished in famines.
—M. Taylor Fravel, Foreign Affairs, 18 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for famine
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Brian Steinberg, Variety, 23 July 2025
Those 1985 multi-artist shows in London and Philadelphia — which raised the equivalent of $450 million in today’s currency for African famine relief and boasted lineups full of legends and icons of the MTV era (U2, Madonna, Duran Duran) — aimed big and worked better than anyone could have expected.
—David Browne, Rolling Stone, 22 July 2025
As part of the package, Trump asked lawmakers to rescind about $8.3 billion in foreign aid programs that aim to fight famine and disease and promote global stability.
—Kevin Freking, Chicago Tribune, 18 July 2025
At the time, Mao was on the back foot politically after his disastrous Great Leap Forward, an industrialization campaign in which as many as 45 million people perished in famines.
—M. Taylor Fravel, Foreign Affairs, 18 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for famine
Cite this Entry
“Famine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/famine. Accessed 7 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
famine
noun
fam·ine
ˈfam-ən 
1
: an extreme general shortage of food
2
: a great shortage
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