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

In August, a panel of international experts on food insecurity, backed by the United Nations, declared a famine in the region, and the suffering of malnourished children made headlines. —Michal Ruprecht, NPR, 28 Dec. 2025

Their origins came from a wanderlusting Russian plant-lover named Nikolai Vavilov who dreamed of a one-stop shop for seeds from all over the world for researchers, scientists, and breeders to learn from and use to fight famine. —Julia Daye, Popular Science, 25 Dec. 2025

And that is not remotely close to the threshold for determining famine. —Beth Bailey, FOXNews.com, 22 Dec. 2025

Now, facing the prospect of being sent back to famine and conflict, TPS holders have few viable pathways to remain in the United States. —Yamiche Alcindor, NBC news, 21 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