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
There are growing fears of widespread famine and starvation in Gaza.
—
Mandy Taheri
jason Lemon, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 May 2025
In all, some 85 million people died in World War II, a figure that includes those who perished from famine and disease.
—Antony Beevor, Foreign Affairs, 7 May 2025
The war in Sudan has killed as many as 150,000 people, according to some estimates, and has led to the world's largest humanitarian crisis and worst famine in decades, according to the United Nations.
—Emmanuel Akinwotu, NPR, 6 May 2025
Throughout his papacy, though, Francis focused on the desperate and poor of the present, among them migrants, refugees, and those threatened by climate change or famine.
—Alan Yuhas, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for famine
Mandy Taheri
jason Lemon, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 May 2025
In all, some 85 million people died in World War II, a figure that includes those who perished from famine and disease.
—Antony Beevor, Foreign Affairs, 7 May 2025
The war in Sudan has killed as many as 150,000 people, according to some estimates, and has led to the world's largest humanitarian crisis and worst famine in decades, according to the United Nations.
—Emmanuel Akinwotu, NPR, 6 May 2025
Throughout his papacy, though, Francis focused on the desperate and poor of the present, among them migrants, refugees, and those threatened by climate change or famine.
—Alan Yuhas, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for famine
Recent Examples of Synonyms for famine
Noun
-
Bad weather, the months long renovation of one of Newark's busiest runways for departing flights and a shortage of air traffic controllers have led to more than a week of of long delays and cancellations at the airport.—
Jaclyn Diaz,
NPR,
8 May 2025
-
The Federal Aviation Administration faces a shortage of roughly 3,500 air traffic controllers, with staffing gaps affecting nearly every control tower.—
Samantha-Jo Roth,
The Washington Examiner,
8 May 2025
Noun
-
But the lack of GLP-1 receptors in the liver suggests that the drug doesn’t work directly on the organ but instead has an indirect effect by lowering weight and blood sugar levels, said Abdelmalek.—
Cathy Nelson,
Health,
13 May 2025
-
However, after the North Carolina Supreme Court overturned their case in 2021 due to a lack of a fair trial, Molly and Thomas pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter and received lesser sentences.—
Emily Blackwood,
People.com,
13 May 2025
Noun
-
Heading into Friday’s Game 6, the New York Knicks hadn’t made it to the Eastern Conference finals since 2000, a drought as long as the camera phone is old.—
The Athletic NBA Staff,
New York Times,
17 May 2025
-
With more than a third of the contiguous U.S. in a drought, there has been a surge in the dangerous airborne flu-like disease in humans.—
Terry Collins,
USA Today,
17 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Famine.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/famine. Accessed 22 May. 2025.
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