famine

noun

fam·​ine ˈfa-mən How to pronounce famine (audio)
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.

Examples of famine in a Sentence

The famine affected half the continent. millions killed by war, drought, and famine
Recent Examples on the Web About a quarter of Gaza’s population is on the brink of famine, according to the United Nations. Alex Marquardt, CNN, 7 Mar. 2024 About 80% of the population of 2.3 million have fled their homes, and U.N. agencies say hundreds of thousands are on the brink of famine. Tia Goldenberg, arkansasonline.com, 4 Mar. 2024 Dropping aid from planes is expensive and inefficient, but aid groups say Gaza is on the brink of famine. Rachel pannett, Washington Post, 4 Mar. 2024 Since the start of the war, the Israeli military has blocked most food, water, and medicine into the besieged Palestinian territory, triggering a near famine in the north of Gaza, affecting hundreds of thousands according to the U.N., including 10-year-old Yesin Al-Kafarna (ph). CBS News, 3 Mar. 2024 The immediate causes of the chaos were extreme hunger and desperation: The United Nations has warned of a looming famine in northern Gaza, where the incident occurred. Patrick Kingsley, New York Times, 3 Mar. 2024 Civilians are at peril for disease and famine, according to the World Health Organization. Claudia Levens, Journal Sentinel, 26 Feb. 2024 Their comments came amid warnings from U.N. aid agencies about looming famine and malnutrition, especially for people in northern Gaza, which is especially difficult for aid convoys to reach. Doha Madani, NBC News, 21 Feb. 2024 Her mother was a famous sculptor Jill's mother, Glenna Goodacre, was a sculptor and artist known for designing public monuments, including an Irish famine memorial in Philadephia and the Vietnam Women's Memorial in Washington, D.C. Kaitlin Stevens, Peoplemag, 21 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'famine.' 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 Anglo-French, from feim, faim hunger, from Latin fames

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of famine was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near famine

Cite this Entry

“Famine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/famine. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

famine

noun
fam·​ine ˈfam-ən How to pronounce famine (audio)
1
: an extreme general shortage of food
2
: a great shortage

More from Merriam-Webster on famine

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