famine

American  

[fam-in] / ˈfæm ɪn /

noun

• famines
  plural

1. extreme and general scarcity of food, as in a country or a large geographical area.

2. any extreme and general scarcity.

   Synonyms:

   scantness, meagerness, poverty, paucity, dearth

3. extreme hunger; starvation.

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famine British  

/ ˈfæmɪn /

noun

1. a severe shortage of food, as through crop failure or overpopulation

2. acute shortage of anything

3. violent hunger

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famine Idioms  

1. see feast or famine.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• famines
  plural

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

famine famines

Yemen's years-long civil conflict killed tens of thousands of people, uprooted millions and drove the country to the brink of famine before a 2022 truce restored relative calm.

From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 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

The Earth was a planet, as Copernicus had said, and it was entirely obvious to Kepler that the Earth, wracked by wars, pestilence, famine and unhappiness, fell short of perfection.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

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

At the time, India was very, very poor, especially in the north, where famines and droughts had swept across the countryside and people were pushed off their land.

From "Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom, and Science" by Marc Aronson

Related Words

• drought
• misery
• poverty
• scarcity
• starvation