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
Examples of famine in a Sentence
The famine affected half the continent.
millions killed by war, drought, and famine
Recent Examples on the Web
There's still parts of Ethiopia that's facing famine.
—
Michael Abeyta, CBS News, 14 Dec. 2025
Faced with the threat of famine, Italy’s maritime regions of Venice, Genoa and Pisa activated their long-distance trade networks to secure grain from the Mongol territories of the Golden Horde around the Sea of Azov.
—New Atlas, 11 Dec. 2025
Instead of pressing Israel to maximize aid delivery, the administration said nothing as Israel imposed a disastrous total blockade on Gaza for more than two months, a move that eventually plunged part of the territory into famine.
—Andrew P. Miller, Foreign Affairs, 5 Dec. 2025
Two 1/2 years into the war, almost 13 million people have been displaced, as many as 400,000 have been killed, and millions are facing famine.
—Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 5 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for famine
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Michael Abeyta, CBS News, 14 Dec. 2025
Faced with the threat of famine, Italy’s maritime regions of Venice, Genoa and Pisa activated their long-distance trade networks to secure grain from the Mongol territories of the Golden Horde around the Sea of Azov.
—New Atlas, 11 Dec. 2025
Instead of pressing Israel to maximize aid delivery, the administration said nothing as Israel imposed a disastrous total blockade on Gaza for more than two months, a move that eventually plunged part of the territory into famine.
—Andrew P. Miller, Foreign Affairs, 5 Dec. 2025
Two 1/2 years into the war, almost 13 million people have been displaced, as many as 400,000 have been killed, and millions are facing famine.
—Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 5 Dec. 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 Dec. 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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