drought

noun

ˈdrau̇t 

variants or less commonly drouth

ˈdrau̇th 

1

: a period of dryness especially when prolonged

specifically : one that causes extensive damage to crops or prevents their successful growth

resistant to drought

2

: a prolonged or chronic shortage or lack of something expected or desired

a drought of creativity

droughtiness

ˈdrau̇-tē-nəs 

noun

droughty

ˈdrau̇-tē

adjective

Synonyms

• crunch
• dearth
• deficiency
• deficit
• failure
• famine
• inadequacy
• inadequateness
• insufficiency
• lack
• lacuna
• paucity
• pinch
• poverty
• scantiness
• scarceness
• scarcity
• shortage
• undersupply
• want

Examples of drought in a Sentence

The drought caused serious damage to crops.

a period of drought that lasted several years

Recent Examples on the Web

The drought watch, which began on Nov. 2, remains in effect. —Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 17 Dec. 2024

Bijan Robinson, who gained 125 of the Falcons’ 168 rushing yards, provided much of the offensive spark, while Kirk Cousins threw a first-half touchdown pass to Drake London to end the quarterback’s touchdown drought that spanned his team’s last four losses. —Vic Tafur, The Athletic, 17 Dec. 2024

Meanwhile, the desertification conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, fell short of reaching an agreement on addressing drought. —Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 16 Dec. 2024

The Huskies started 0-for-5 from beyond the arc before freshman Morgan Cheli finally ended the drought seconds before the first quarter buzzer. —Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 15 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English drūgath, from drūgian to dry up; akin to Old English drȳge dry — more at dry

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

drought

noun

variants also drouth

ˈdrau̇t 

ˈdrau̇th

: a long period of dry weather

droughty

-ē

adjective