famine

[ fam-in ]

/ ˈfæm ɪn /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR famine ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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

any extreme and general scarcity.

extreme hunger; starvation.

Words nearby famine

family therapy, family tree, family values, family way, family-tree theory, famine, famish, famished, famotidine, famous, famous last words

Origin of famine

1325–75; Middle English < Middle French, derivative of faim hunger (< Latin famēs); see -ine²

SYNONYMS FOR famine

2 dearth, paucity, poverty, meagerness, scantness.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR famine ON THESAURUS.COM

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for famine

She recalls that during the famine her father illegally sold gold and silver.
How ‘Titanic ’Helped This Brave Young Woman Escape North Korea’s Totalitarian State|Lizzie Crocker|October 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“These people were coming here from tragic situations of war and famine in search of a better life,” he told The Daily Beast.
Italy: Migrants Dying en Masse|Barbie Latza Nadeau|July 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Famine and frigid temperatures ensued, and roughly 10 percent of the population died.
When the Weather Went All Medieval: Climate Change, Famine, and Mass Death|Wendy Smith|June 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
At other times, North Korea might want aid economic and food concessions, especially during periods of hardship and famine.
Is North Korea Collecting American Hostages?|Kyle Mizokami|June 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Famine will stalk the land and as many as seven million people will confront extreme food insecurity—in short, starvation.
Preventing Genocide In South Sudan|Eric Reeves, John Prendergast|April 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Never, never would he eat cheese again unless the hand of famine gripped him.
Kenny|Leona Dalrymple
All kinds of calamities overspread the earth and decimated the race,--war, pestilence, and famine.
Beacon Lights of History, Volume IV|John Lord
Hundreds of thousands of people used to perish by famine and disease year after year.
The Library of Work and Play: Mechanics, Indoors and Out|Fred T. Hodgson
During a famine a rich man offered to supply a vast store of grain for public use provided he was made a deacon.
Curiosities of Christian History|Croake James
An' small thanks I gets—me that keeps this harbor alive, in famine an' plenty.
Harbor Tales Down North|Norman Duncan

British Dictionary definitions for famine

famine

/ (ˈfæmɪn) /

noun

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

acute shortage of anything

violent hunger

Word Origin for famine

C14: from Old French, via Vulgar Latin, from Latin famēs hunger

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012