drought

noun

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
droughtiness noun
droughty
ˈdrau̇-tē
adjective

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 In coming decades, climate change will make red pine and other Northwoods trees increasingly vulnerable to destructive combinations of longer, warmer summers and less extremely cold winters, as well as droughts, windstorms, wildfires and insect infestations. Smithsonian Magazine, 15 Mar. 2024 That’ll be increasingly critical as the planet warms and droughts intensify: Sponge cities aim to bank water for a rainy day, or more accurately, a parched one. Matt Simon, WIRED, 15 Mar. 2024 Indeed, it’s all connected — water, energy, drought, climate, natural gas, heat waves, dams, rivers. Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2024 In economic terms, those areas face severe drought. Aldo Svaldi, The Denver Post, 10 Mar. 2024 Dario Saric, who was summoned from outside of Kerr’s rotation for shooting, broke a two-minute Warriors scoring drought. Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 10 Mar. 2024 This is good news for both the short-term drought concerns and the long-term battle against widespread drought, AccuWeather said. Doyle Rice, USA TODAY, 9 Mar. 2024 In others, such as the increasingly dry Southwest, the new norm of prolonged drought may cause traditionally colorful spring responses to remain dormant. Krista Simmons and J.d. Simkins, Sunset Magazine, 8 Mar. 2024 In September, the Texas Farm Bureau reported that drought and high temperatures caused the diminished cotton crops. Li Cohen, CBS News, 7 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'drought.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

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

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

Dictionary Entries Near drought

Cite this Entry

“Drought.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/drought. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

drought

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

More from Merriam-Webster on drought

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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