drought

1 of 2

noun

ˈdrau̇t How to pronounce drought (audio)
variants or less commonly drouth
ˈdrau̇th How to pronounce drought (audio)
Synonyms of drought
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
droughtiness
ˈdrau̇-tē-nəs How to pronounce drought (audio)
noun
droughty
ˈdrau̇-tē
adjective

droughty

2 of 2

adjective

variants or drouthy
|ē, 
|i
-er/-est
1
: dry, arid : lacking moisture
the droughty desert—A. D. Carruthers
2
: of, relating to, or afflicted by a prolonged drought
we look into a droughty sky—I. R. Tannehill
over most of the area droughty conditions still prevail
3
: thirsty

Synonyms of drought

Relevance

Noun

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of drought in a Sentence

Noun The drought caused serious damage to crops. a period of drought that lasted several years
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
And Mexico ended a 40-year knockout drought in a 2-0 win over Ecuador. — Elizabeth Robinson, NBC news, 1 July 2026 Scientists who study the river have found that natural drought cycles are only part of what’s happening, and that global warming is making the dryness significantly worse. — Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026 Other areas of the West, such as California, have long enacted drought-control measures, prompting some homeowners to paint their grass green rather than see the dismal reminder of their lawn’s death. — Idaho Statesman, 1 July 2026 The uninterrupted sun dries out soil increasing drought risk, and light winds allow pollutants to build up, worsening air quality, particularly in urban areas. — Janet Loehrke, USA Today, 1 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for drought

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Old English drūgath, from drūgian to dry up; akin to Old English drȳge dry — more at dry

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of drought was before the 12th century

Rhymes for drought

See All Rhymes for drought

Browse Nearby Words

Drouet
drought
droughtiness
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Drought.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/drought. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

drought

noun
variants also drouth
ˈdrau̇t How to pronounce drought (audio)
ˈdrau̇th
: a long period of dry weather
droughty
-ē
adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on drought

Nglish: Translation of drought for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about drought

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All