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
As a result, there was a great famine in the city.
—
Helaine Williams, Arkansas Online, 6 June 2026
How to manage in times of war or famine.
—Literary Hub, 3 June 2026
Land is inspired by her great-great-grandfather, who made maps for the British in the wake of the Great Hunger, the catastrophic famine spanning the years 1847 to 1852.
—Rachel Vorona Cote, Vulture, 2 June 2026
The play, produced by The Royal Shakespeare Company, tells the story of 13-year-old Kamkwamba’s plan to build a windmill during Malawi’s famine in 2001.
—Paige Bruton, semafor.com, 1 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for famine
Helaine Williams, Arkansas Online, 6 June 2026
How to manage in times of war or famine.
—Literary Hub, 3 June 2026
Land is inspired by her great-great-grandfather, who made maps for the British in the wake of the Great Hunger, the catastrophic famine spanning the years 1847 to 1852.
—Rachel Vorona Cote, Vulture, 2 June 2026
The play, produced by The Royal Shakespeare Company, tells the story of 13-year-old Kamkwamba’s plan to build a windmill during Malawi’s famine in 2001.
—Paige Bruton, semafor.com, 1 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for famine
Recent Examples of Synonyms for famine
Noun
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Most of Gaza’s 2 million residents remain displaced amid devastation and severe shortages, as new Israeli strikes on crowded areas kill children and other civilians Israel labels militant targets.—
Wafaa Shurafa,
Los Angeles Times,
14 June 2026
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Fun, frothy page-turners are often the go-to when selecting a book for summer reading, and this year promises no shortage of entertaining titles.—
Suzanne Van Atten,
AJC.com,
14 June 2026
Noun
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Silva said the single most alarming aspect of the report was the lack of information available to emergency responders.—
Ivan Taylor,
CBS News,
11 June 2026
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The Mexican team’s lack of elite club experience, however, is obvious and could be a problem.—
Eduard Cauich,
Los Angeles Times,
11 June 2026
Noun
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The fiery right-hander tied a season high with 10 strikeouts over six strong innings after giving up a leadoff homer, Manny Machado ended a 14-game RBI drought and the Padres beat the Giants 5-1 in front of a sellout crowd of 40,624 to snap a four-game skid.—
Jeff Sanders,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
20 Aug. 2025
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Severe droughts hit countries extending from the Middle East through Europe.—
Prashant Rao,
semafor.com,
20 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Famine.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/famine. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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