famine

noun

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

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of famine in a Sentence

The famine affected half the continent. millions killed by war, drought, and famine
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.
The 2020-2022 war in Tigray caused about 500,000 civilian deaths from violence, famine and the collapse of health services, according to researchers at Ghent University in Belgium. — ABC News, 11 Oct. 2026 Although the food situation has improved since last year’s famine, Israel continues to restrict humanitarian aid, allowing only a fraction of the daily 600 truckloads required in the cease-fire deal to enter the territory. — Khaled Elgindy, Foreign Affairs, 8 Oct. 2026 The assault triggered Israel’s war in the Gaza Strip, the killing of more than 74,000 Palestinians, famine and widespread devastation. — Charlene Gubash, NBC news, 7 Oct. 2026 In opulent London salons at the turn of the 19th century, economists including David Ricardo and Thomas Malthus debated trade, famine and the fate of the poor. — Julia R. Cartwright, Washington Post, 6 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for famine

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

Rhymes for famine

See All Rhymes for famine

Browse Nearby Words

family way
famine
famine bread
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Famine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/famine. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

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

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about famine

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of deportment

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Why do we call it a 'flea market'?
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
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
a cup of tea and a golf ball on tee side by side
Quiz: Sounds Like... Choose the word that sounds like it fits the clue...
See All