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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of famine
This is Conolly’s Folly, built in 1740 at the height of a terrible famine.
—
Amelia Soth,
JSTOR Daily,
18 June 2026
War, famine, disease and death — all four horsemen of the apocalypse.
—
George Calhoun,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2026
The move came amid cost-cutting efforts and claims of wasteful spending at the agency, which worked to prevent infectious diseases and supplied medicine and water to people in nations stricken by war, famine and drought.
—
USA Today,
17 June 2026
China wouldn’t have cleared that bar then, during Mao’s rule that claimed many millions of lives through famine and revolutionary upheaval.
—
John Leicester,
Los Angeles Times,
15 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for famine
Amelia Soth,
JSTOR Daily,
18 June 2026
War, famine, disease and death — all four horsemen of the apocalypse.
—
George Calhoun,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2026
The move came amid cost-cutting efforts and claims of wasteful spending at the agency, which worked to prevent infectious diseases and supplied medicine and water to people in nations stricken by war, famine and drought.
—
USA Today,
17 June 2026
China wouldn’t have cleared that bar then, during Mao’s rule that claimed many millions of lives through famine and revolutionary upheaval.
—
John Leicester,
Los Angeles Times,
15 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for famine
Recent Examples of Synonyms for famine
Noun
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Despite the overwhelming demand for medical services and the shortage of supplies in Venezuela’s public health system, Domingo Luciani Hospital in the capital of Caracas coped with an influx of patients thanks to a flood of donations.
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With the rise in demand by retail users, compute providers are also facing significant shortages, raising their prices, and are rushing to develop more hardware.
Noun
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These areas often have awkward entrances and lack ventilation, which allows heat to build quickly.
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Nearly half acknowledged mental health issues, and 34% felt their lack of personal relationships was a factor that contributed to feeling purposeless.
Noun
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After Jude Bellingham netted Saturday’s first goal in the 62nd minute — snapping an England scoring drought that had lasted for more than three halves — Bellingham set up Kane’s header, which served as the dagger.
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Width, density and spacing in cross sections of the tree rings document floods, droughts and hurricane landfalls.
Cite this Entry
“Famine.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/famine. Accessed 29 Jun. 2026.
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