variants
or less commonly drouth
1
: a period of dryness especially when prolonged
specifically
: one that causes extensive damage to crops or prevents their successful growth
resistant to drought
2
: a prolonged or chronic shortage or lack of something expected or desired
a drought of creativity
droughty
adjective
ˈdrau̇-tē
Synonyms
Examples of drought in a Sentence
The drought caused serious damage to crops.
a period of drought that lasted several years
Recent Examples on the Web
Alongside crime, drought from the El Niño weather phenomenon has crippled Ecuador’s hydroelectric plants and thrown the country into an energy crisis.
—
Max Saltman, CNN, 8 Feb. 2025
White Hall finally ended the drought when Tristan Dunlap made a jumper in the closing seconds of the quarter as the Bulldogs trailed 25-9.
—Jeff Halpern Special To The Democrat-Gazette, arkansasonline.com, 8 Feb. 2025
Established plants have some drought tolerance, and grow at a similar pace overall to flowering dogwood.
—Miri Talabac, Baltimore Sun, 7 Feb. 2025
The winds arrived after a year when drought followed periods of intense rain — ideal conditions for intense wildfires, said Alexander Gershunov, a climate scientist with the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego.
—Nidhi Sharma, NBC News, 6 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for drought 
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Max Saltman, CNN, 8 Feb. 2025
White Hall finally ended the drought when Tristan Dunlap made a jumper in the closing seconds of the quarter as the Bulldogs trailed 25-9.
—Jeff Halpern Special To The Democrat-Gazette, arkansasonline.com, 8 Feb. 2025
Established plants have some drought tolerance, and grow at a similar pace overall to flowering dogwood.
—Miri Talabac, Baltimore Sun, 7 Feb. 2025
The winds arrived after a year when drought followed periods of intense rain — ideal conditions for intense wildfires, said Alexander Gershunov, a climate scientist with the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego.
—Nidhi Sharma, NBC News, 6 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for drought
Dictionary Entries Near drought
Cite this Entry
“Drought.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/drought. Accessed 13 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
drought
noun
variants
also drouth
ˈdrau̇t 
ˈdrau̇th
: a long period of dry weather
droughty
adjective
-ē
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