famine

noun

fam·​ine ˈfa-mən 

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.

Synonyms of famine

• shortage
• lack
• drought

Examples of famine in a Sentence

The famine affected half the continent.

millions killed by war, drought, and famine

Recent Examples on the Web

China wouldn’t have cleared that bar then, during Mao’s rule that claimed many millions of lives through famine and revolutionary upheaval. —ABC News, 13 June 2026

Maria is a witness to the old world with World War II, famine, and the new world. —Photovogue, Vogue, 11 June 2026

The party has tried to sell Americans on the value of global engagement—famine relief, training foreign militaries, support for the United Nations—before. —Missy Ryan, The Atlantic, 10 June 2026

Many of these Catholic newcomers, fleeing famine and persecution, were disparaged as poor, illiterate and superstitious. —Matthew Smith, The Conversation, 8 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from feim, faim hunger, from Latin fames

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for famine

• gammon
• mammon
• backgammon
• examen
• examine
• glutamine
• reexamine

Kids Definition

famine

noun

fam·​ine ˈfam-ən 

1

: an extreme general shortage of food

2

: a great shortage