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

Local indicators of famine and abandonment may explain why the group was disposed of quickly and all at once. —Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 21 Dec. 2025

August was the first time the IPC had confirmed famine in the Middle East. —Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN Money, 19 Dec. 2025

More than two years of civil war have led to famine conditions and mass displacement. —Belinda Luscombe, Time, 18 Dec. 2025

Countries also avoided catastrophe as the soaring growth of the world’s population in the twentieth century did not lead to mass famine but to growing prosperity and rising standards of living. —Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025

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