1
: an extreme scarcity of food
The famine affected most of the country.
2
archaic
: starvation
3
archaic
: a ravenous appetite
4
: a great shortage
Transportation problems resulted in a coal famine.
Synonyms of famine
Examples of famine in a Sentence
The famine affected half the continent.
millions killed by war, drought, and famine
Recent Examples on the Web
The most recent famine was declared in Gaza City last year.
—
Freddie Clayton, NBC news, 17 May 2026
The war in Sudan began in April 2023 and has killed at least 59,000 people, displaced some 13 million and pushed parts of the country into famine.
—ABC News, 16 May 2026
No, the only narrative that was coming out of Yemen was about famine and poverty.
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 16 May 2026
During the famine of 1944-45, known as the Hongerwinter, things got even worse.
—Hadley Hall Meares, Vanity Fair, 15 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for famine
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Freddie Clayton, NBC news, 17 May 2026
The war in Sudan began in April 2023 and has killed at least 59,000 people, displaced some 13 million and pushed parts of the country into famine.
—ABC News, 16 May 2026
No, the only narrative that was coming out of Yemen was about famine and poverty.
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 16 May 2026
During the famine of 1944-45, known as the Hongerwinter, things got even worse.
—Hadley Hall Meares, Vanity Fair, 15 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for famine
Cite this Entry
“Famine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/famine. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
famine
noun
fam·ine
ˈfam-ən 
1
: an extreme general shortage of food
2
: a great shortage
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