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

Direct food distribution programmes were dismantled and legislation was introduced to place the financial onus for famine relief on Irish landowners, who in turn attempted to save money by ejecting tenants.

From BBC ● Aug. 5, 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

They had emerged—loosely speaking—because an ancestral antelope had produced a long-necked variant that had been progressively selected by a natural force, such as a famine.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

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

In extreme conditions such as droughts, famines or freezing temperatures, animals activate resilience programs like hibernation instead of investing energy in reproduction.

From Science Daily ● Feb. 23, 2026

India, for centuries, was wracked by famines and chronic food shortages, leaving generations to survive on meagre nutrition.

From BBC ● Apr. 12, 2025

She said that, in the absence of American aid, she expects famines in places like the Congo to quickly worsen in places like Sudan.

From Salon ● Mar. 13, 2025

Luke wished he’d had the nerve to ask about the Population Law, or the famines, or even some family history.

From "Among the Hidden" by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Related Words

• drought
• misery
• poverty
• scarcity
• starvation