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 consequences will ultimately be most severe where needs are already most acute, in countries like Sudan, where the United Nations repeatedly documented famine in 2024 and 2025 and continues to warn of the threat of mass starvation.
—
Comfort Ero, Time, 3 Apr. 2026
The diaries also included criticism of the Great Leap Forward, an industrialization program championed by Mao from 1958 to 1961 that caused a famine estimated to have killed as many as 40 million people.
—Jennifer Jett, NBC news, 1 Apr. 2026
Since then, it's been feast or famine for UConn.
—ABC News, 31 Mar. 2026
Why is there the perpetual erosion of our environment, and things like poverty, famine, homelessness and hatred and division?
—Kevin Powell, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for famine
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Comfort Ero, Time, 3 Apr. 2026
The diaries also included criticism of the Great Leap Forward, an industrialization program championed by Mao from 1958 to 1961 that caused a famine estimated to have killed as many as 40 million people.
—Jennifer Jett, NBC news, 1 Apr. 2026
Since then, it's been feast or famine for UConn.
—ABC News, 31 Mar. 2026
Why is there the perpetual erosion of our environment, and things like poverty, famine, homelessness and hatred and division?
—Kevin Powell, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 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 8 Apr. 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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