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
The highest levels of malnutrition since the war began were reported this summer, and its largest city has been officially declared under famine by a panel of food-security experts.
—
Pablo Robles, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2025
Public sentiment seemingly reached a turning point in July as reports of famine and Israeli soldiers firing on food lines in Gaza drove even sympathetic Democrats to issue rebukes.
—David Sivak, The Washington Examiner, 12 Sep. 2025
In practice, that could mean a withdrawal of political cover for Israel's ongoing invasion of Gaza, which has provoked outrage among European and Arab nations as famine conditions spread.
—Gram Slattery, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025
Despite concerns about feeding a growing global population in the face of a changing climate, along with famines being declared in Sudan and Gaza, the number of calories consumed per person increased by 35% worldwide between 1960 and 2022 and shows no signs of slowing.
—Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for famine
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Pablo Robles, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2025
Public sentiment seemingly reached a turning point in July as reports of famine and Israeli soldiers firing on food lines in Gaza drove even sympathetic Democrats to issue rebukes.
—David Sivak, The Washington Examiner, 12 Sep. 2025
In practice, that could mean a withdrawal of political cover for Israel's ongoing invasion of Gaza, which has provoked outrage among European and Arab nations as famine conditions spread.
—Gram Slattery, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025
Despite concerns about feeding a growing global population in the face of a changing climate, along with famines being declared in Sudan and Gaza, the number of calories consumed per person increased by 35% worldwide between 1960 and 2022 and shows no signs of slowing.
—Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 10 Sep. 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 17 Sep. 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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