famine

noun

fam·​ine ˈfa-mən 

1

: an extreme scarcity of food

The famine affected most of the country.

2

archaic : starvation

3

archaic : a ravenous appetite

4

: a great shortage

Transportation problems resulted in a coal famine.

Synonyms

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

Examples of famine in a Sentence

The famine affected half the continent.

millions killed by war, drought, and famine

Recent Examples on the Web

Its population of around 2.3 million people is on the brink of famine, according to aid groups and international agencies. —Nidal Al-Mughrabi, USA Today, 15 May 2025

All of the Gaza Strip is at high risk of famine, and nearly half a million people in Gaza face starvation, according to a panel of experts backed by the United Nations. —Ruth Margalit, New Yorker, 14 May 2025

Since then, food stocks have run out at warehouses and food kitchens across Gaza as the enclave has moved closer to famine. —Abeer Salman, CNN Money, 12 May 2025

Food security experts said in a report published Monday that the population of Gaza was facing a critical risk of famine. —Haley Ott, CBS News, 12 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from feim, faim hunger, from Latin fames

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for famine

• gammon
• mammon
• backgammon
• examen
• examine
• glutamine
• reexamine

Kids Definition

famine

noun

fam·​ine ˈfam-ən 

1

: an extreme general shortage of food

2

: a great shortage