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
An Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, or IPC, report released earlier this month warned of the risk of famine if adequate access to food was not restored.
—
Matt Bradley, NBC news, 22 May 2025
Israel’s threats to drastically escalate the war in Gaza and its blockade of humanitarian aid to a Palestinian population at risk of famine have drawn the sharpest condemnation yet from some powerful Western allies since the conflict began 19 months ago.
—Aaron Boxerman, New York Times, 20 May 2025
Aid groups and the U.N. have warned of an impending famine if aid does not arrive quickly.
—Brendan Cole, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 May 2025
Food security experts say Gaza will be in famine if the blockade isn't lifted.
—Ibrahim Hazboun, Arkansas Online, 18 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for famine
Matt Bradley, NBC news, 22 May 2025
Israel’s threats to drastically escalate the war in Gaza and its blockade of humanitarian aid to a Palestinian population at risk of famine have drawn the sharpest condemnation yet from some powerful Western allies since the conflict began 19 months ago.
—Aaron Boxerman, New York Times, 20 May 2025
Aid groups and the U.N. have warned of an impending famine if aid does not arrive quickly.
—Brendan Cole, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 May 2025
Food security experts say Gaza will be in famine if the blockade isn't lifted.
—Ibrahim Hazboun, Arkansas Online, 18 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for famine
Recent Examples of Synonyms for famine
Noun
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At least five controllers took 45 days of trauma leave after the incident, leading to a staffing shortage that canceled and delayed more than a thousand flights.—
Pete Muntean,
CNN Money,
19 May 2025
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The Philadelphia air traffic control facility that handles flights at Newark is also experiencing a staffing shortage.—
Megan Cerullo,
CBS News,
19 May 2025
Noun
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After two days exploring Barcelona, Spain, Napton was surprised at the lack of political discourse.—
Kathleen Wong,
USA Today,
26 May 2025
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Morehouse graduates applaud the honor Part of the tragedy of Hubert’s lynching was a lack of awareness surrounding his story among Morehouse graduates until only recently, several alumni said.—
Dalia Faheid,
CNN Money,
25 May 2025
Noun
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The team is also working on making rice less dependent on water, which is important in regions struggling with droughts.—
Juergen Eckhardt,
Forbes.com,
29 May 2025
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When droughts cause food supplies to dwindle and locust populations to become more dense, the insects undergo both bodily and behavioral changes into a gregarious form.—
Ian Randall,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Famine.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/famine. Accessed 3 Jun. 2025.
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