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

The war turned into a grinding conflict, killing hundreds of thousands of people and spurring successive health crises and famine. — Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026

Researchers at Ghent University, in Belgium, estimated that 500,000 civilians died from violence, famine and the collapse of health services. — ABC News, 5 Oct. 2026

The 2020-2022 Tigray war killed more than 100,000 people and contributed to famine in the region. — Adrian Elimian, semafor.com, 28 Sep. 2026

Very strong El Niño events has been associated with floods and famine in the past. — Sean MacAday, Sacbee.com, 27 Sep. 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