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.
Examples of famine in a Sentence
The famine affected half the continent.
millions killed by war, drought, and famine
Recent Examples on the Web
Aid groups warn that a large-scale evacuation would exacerbate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza City, which the world's leading hunger watchdog announced last month was officially suffering from famine as a result of Israeli restrictions on food aid.
—
Wafaa Shurafa, Arkansas Online, 7 Sep. 2025
With a genocide in Congo and war, famine and ethnic cleasing in Sudan, to cite just two of the conflicts currently happening in Africa, that dream seems impossible.
—Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 7 Sep. 2025
Already, leading experts on hunger have declared a famine in Gaza City due to Israeli restrictions on aid.
—Aya Batrawy, NPR, 5 Sep. 2025
Humanitarian organizations estimate over 13 million people have been displaced by the fighting between the government’s military forces and the rebel RSF fighters, with famine and disease a by-product of the struggle for power.
—Rory Fleming, CNN Money, 5 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for famine
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Wafaa Shurafa, Arkansas Online, 7 Sep. 2025
With a genocide in Congo and war, famine and ethnic cleasing in Sudan, to cite just two of the conflicts currently happening in Africa, that dream seems impossible.
—Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 7 Sep. 2025
Already, leading experts on hunger have declared a famine in Gaza City due to Israeli restrictions on aid.
—Aya Batrawy, NPR, 5 Sep. 2025
Humanitarian organizations estimate over 13 million people have been displaced by the fighting between the government’s military forces and the rebel RSF fighters, with famine and disease a by-product of the struggle for power.
—Rory Fleming, CNN Money, 5 Sep. 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 10 Sep. 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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