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
Examples of famine in a Sentence
The famine affected half the continent.
millions killed by war, drought, and famine
Recent Examples on the Web
Meanwhile, David Satterfield, the U.S. regional envoy for humanitarian issues, said the risk of famine in Gaza, especially in the north, was very high.
—
Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 24 Apr. 2024
The aid package approved by the U.S. House of Representatives on Saturday includes around $9 billion in humanitarian assistance for Gaza, which experts say is on the brink of famine, and $4 billion for Israel’s missile defense.
—Sierra Lopez, The Mercury News, 23 Apr. 2024
Thirty-seven liberal Democrats opposed the $26 billion aid package for Israel because the legislation placed no conditions on how Israel could use American funding, as the death toll in Gaza has reached more than 33,000 and the threat of famine looms.
—Catie Edmondson, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2024
The workers were delivering food to besieged Palestinians in Gaza, many of which are under threat of famine.
—Morgan Fischer, The Arizona Republic, 15 Apr. 2024
Land redistribution ruined many families; artists and intellectuals were stifled and often outright killed; political opponents were tortured and murdered; and over the coming decades the country was plagued by famine, poverty and the suppression of free speech.
—Nick Hilden, Washington Post, 14 Apr. 2024
More than thirty thousand Gazans had been killed—more than a third of them reported to be children—and epidemiologists had begun to warn of famine.
—Keith Gessen, The New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2024
This year, the month comes at a somber time for many Arab Americans, who are watching their family members, friends and fellow Arabs deal with loss, trauma and a looming famine in Gaza.
—Mirna Alsharif, NBC News, 13 Apr. 2024
Power is the first US official to publicly agree with an assessment that famine is already taking place.
—Jeremy Diamond, CNN, 12 Apr. 2024
Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 24 Apr. 2024
The aid package approved by the U.S. House of Representatives on Saturday includes around $9 billion in humanitarian assistance for Gaza, which experts say is on the brink of famine, and $4 billion for Israel’s missile defense.
—Sierra Lopez, The Mercury News, 23 Apr. 2024
Thirty-seven liberal Democrats opposed the $26 billion aid package for Israel because the legislation placed no conditions on how Israel could use American funding, as the death toll in Gaza has reached more than 33,000 and the threat of famine looms.
—Catie Edmondson, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2024
The workers were delivering food to besieged Palestinians in Gaza, many of which are under threat of famine.
—Morgan Fischer, The Arizona Republic, 15 Apr. 2024
Land redistribution ruined many families; artists and intellectuals were stifled and often outright killed; political opponents were tortured and murdered; and over the coming decades the country was plagued by famine, poverty and the suppression of free speech.
—Nick Hilden, Washington Post, 14 Apr. 2024
More than thirty thousand Gazans had been killed—more than a third of them reported to be children—and epidemiologists had begun to warn of famine.
—Keith Gessen, The New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2024
This year, the month comes at a somber time for many Arab Americans, who are watching their family members, friends and fellow Arabs deal with loss, trauma and a looming famine in Gaza.
—Mirna Alsharif, NBC News, 13 Apr. 2024
Power is the first US official to publicly agree with an assessment that famine is already taking place.
—Jeremy Diamond, CNN, 12 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'famine.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near famine
Cite this Entry
“Famine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/famine. Accessed 27 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
famine
noun
fam·ine
ˈfam-ən 
1
: an extreme general shortage of food
2
: a great shortage
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