famine
Americannoun
-
famines
plural
-
extreme and general scarcity of food, as in a country or a large geographical area.
-
any extreme and general scarcity.
- Synonyms:
- scantness, meagerness, poverty, paucity, dearth
-
extreme hunger; starvation.
noun
-
a severe shortage of food, as through crop failure or overpopulation
-
acute shortage of anything
-
violent hunger
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of famine
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English, from Middle French, derivative of faim “hunger,” from Latin famēs; cf. famish
Explanation
A famine is a severe shortage of food, but not the "I forgot to go to the grocery store and there's nothing to eat in the house" type of shortage. A famine is usually caused by crop failure or disaster. Although the "extreme shortage of food" meaning is most common, the noun famine can also mean any shortage or insufficiency, and it is often used idiomatically in the phrase "feast or famine." This usage refers to something that is alternately plentiful and scarce — like the feast and famine experienced by an artist who only occasionally sells his paintings.
Vocabulary lists containing famine
St. Patrick's Day Vocabulary: Words With Irish and Gaelic Roots
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Unit 1: Telling Details
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Vocabulary from the Introduction to "Reality is Broken" by Jane McGonigal
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
El Salvador, Nicaragua and Honduras, located in the so-called "Dry Corridor", all set monthly temperature records in both June and July, heightening concerns over famine.
From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026
Following European contact in the 15th century, Indigenous populations across the Americas declined dramatically because of disease, famine, violence, conflict and the rapid loss of genetic diversity.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 10, 2026
“It’s like you have a famine, and you’ve only got food for 15% of the people,” Culhane said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
Mamdani continued: “These are people who fled earthquakes, famine, war and political violence,” he said in a statement.
From Salon ● Jun. 30, 2026
King Arthur only had to deal with plague, famine, and evil knights.
From "Dead End in Norvelt" by Jack Gantos
It asserted that widespread famines and mass starvation would doom huge swaths of mankind because the world’s population was growing too rapidly.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 17, 2026
Generations before us have survived wars and famines.
From Salon ● May 1, 2025
“Drawing from our experience with previous famines, we know that widespread deaths have already occurred by the time a famine is officially declared.”
From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2024
Wars, famines, outbreaks, natural disasters … There are, sadly, many reasons why populations might be forced or feel compelled to leave their homes in search of refuge elsewhere, and these cases continue to grow.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 3, 2024
If you wore special glasses you could see them spinning through the sky among the bats and homing birds—blondes, wars, famines, football, food shows, coups d’ etat, hairstyles stiff with hair spray.
From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
