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
While there have been numerous attempts to end hostilities in Sudan, the fighting rages on, creating one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world, including the first declaration of famine anywhere in years.
—
semafor.com, 25 Feb. 2026
Many Somalis arrived under the United States' now sharply curtailed refugee program during Somalia's civil war and famine in the early 1990s and are now citizens.
—Lauren Villagran, USA Today, 24 Feb. 2026
The latter possibility, however, could give rise to enough disaster and famine to fully destabilize human civilization.
—Quanta Magazine, 20 Feb. 2026
The psychic and physical toll of white supremacy, sustained cruelty, imprisonment, famine, poverty, depression, grief, or illness constricts one’s depth of imagination and movement.
—Literary Hub, 19 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for famine
semafor.com, 25 Feb. 2026
Many Somalis arrived under the United States' now sharply curtailed refugee program during Somalia's civil war and famine in the early 1990s and are now citizens.
—Lauren Villagran, USA Today, 24 Feb. 2026
The latter possibility, however, could give rise to enough disaster and famine to fully destabilize human civilization.
—Quanta Magazine, 20 Feb. 2026
The psychic and physical toll of white supremacy, sustained cruelty, imprisonment, famine, poverty, depression, grief, or illness constricts one’s depth of imagination and movement.
—Literary Hub, 19 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for famine
Recent Examples of Synonyms for famine
Noun
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Long lines at gas stations across the capital suggested fears of possible fuel shortages or plans by many to leave the city.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
2 Mar. 2026
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Spellings noted that the United States has a teacher shortage, especially in fields like special education, driven in part by an aging teacher population and high attrition.—
Matt Egan,
CNN Money,
2 Mar. 2026
Noun
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In response to this lack of demand, Canadian airlines cut flights, driving the number of seats on planes from Canada to Las Vegas to its lowest point in two decades.—
Nathaniel Meyersohn,
CNN Money,
5 Mar. 2026
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Other residents expressed frustration as Wu administration officials pooh-poohed not only Pepén’s snow-removal proposal, due to a lack of capacity, but ideas put forward by Councilors Brian Worrell and Ed Flynn, who chaired the hearing.—
Gayla Cawley,
Boston Herald,
4 Mar. 2026
Noun
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UConn started the game just 3-for-12 from the field and fell into a four-minute scoring drought as the Pirates, aggressive and handsy on the defensive end, took a 14-11 lead around the 10-minute mark.—
Joe Arruda,
Hartford Courant,
28 Feb. 2026
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After nearly a decade of futility that’s left them with the NBA’s longest current playoff drought, the Hornets (30-31) are growing up.—
Roderick Boone,
Charlotte Observer,
28 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Famine.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/famine. Accessed 8 Mar. 2026.
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