as in shortage
a falling short of an essential or desirable amount or number
there's a famine of good general practitioners in many rural areas
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Recent Examples of famine
The ongoing Israel-Gaza war has led to mass destruction, death, and famine in the enclave for 20 months.
—
Mandy Taheri
tom O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 June 2025
Hunger has spread in Gaza, with UN agencies warning of impending famine without a drastic scaling up of aid entering the territory and being distributed across it.
—Tim Lister, CNN Money, 31 May 2025
Each day, hundreds of trucks carrying food and humanitarian aid would be allowed to enter Gaza, where experts say a nearly three-month Israeli blockade — slightly eased in recent days — has pushed the population to the brink of famine.
—Abdel Kareem Hana, Chicago Tribune, 30 May 2025
Each day, hundreds of trucks carrying food and humanitarian aid would be allowed to enter Gaza, where experts say a nearly three-month Israeli blockade -- slightly eased in recent days -- has pushed the population to the brink of famine.
—Abdel Kareem Hana, Arkansas Online, 30 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for famine
Mandy Taheri
tom O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 June 2025
Hunger has spread in Gaza, with UN agencies warning of impending famine without a drastic scaling up of aid entering the territory and being distributed across it.
—Tim Lister, CNN Money, 31 May 2025
Each day, hundreds of trucks carrying food and humanitarian aid would be allowed to enter Gaza, where experts say a nearly three-month Israeli blockade — slightly eased in recent days — has pushed the population to the brink of famine.
—Abdel Kareem Hana, Chicago Tribune, 30 May 2025
Each day, hundreds of trucks carrying food and humanitarian aid would be allowed to enter Gaza, where experts say a nearly three-month Israeli blockade -- slightly eased in recent days -- has pushed the population to the brink of famine.
—Abdel Kareem Hana, Arkansas Online, 30 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for famine
Recent Examples of Synonyms for famine
Noun
-
Japan began experiencing a matcha shortage in late 2024, as global interest in the powdered green tea spiked, according to the Global Japanese Tea Association.—
Camila Pedrosa,
Sacbee.com,
13 June 2025
-
The pilot in Hawaii began with engineering majors because the state is heavily dependent on engineers in its key defense, construction and tourism industries — but has a chronic shortage of them.—
Jon Marcus,
Los Angeles Times,
13 June 2025
Noun
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Brandon Bell/Getty Images What To Know A chronic lack of inventory, partially due to the fact that homebuilders in the U.S. significantly underbuilt in the years following the 2008 crash, contributed to bringing U.S. home prices through the roof in recent years.—
Giulia Carbonaro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 June 2025
-
In American literature, this is perhaps a relatively recent phenomenon too, one that could be attributed to a lack of global (and local) educational foundation.—
Aram Mrjoian
June 6,
Literary Hub,
6 June 2025
Noun
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The dilemma is exacerbated because the Permian basin is largely a desert, and New Mexico is in a drought—some say a 20-year drought.—
Ian Dexter Palmer,
Forbes.com,
10 June 2025
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These plants can manage in drought conditions, too.—
Lauren David,
Southern Living,
8 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Famine.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/famine. Accessed 17 Jun. 2025.
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