drought

noun

ˈdrau̇t 

variants or less commonly drouth

ˈdrau̇th 

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

ˈdrau̇-tē-nəs 

noun

droughty

ˈdrau̇-tē

adjective

Synonyms

• crunch
• dearth
• deficiency
• deficit
• failure
• famine
• inadequacy
• inadequateness
• insufficiency
• lack
• lacuna
• paucity
• pinch
• poverty
• scantiness
• scarceness
• scarcity
• shortage
• undersupply
• want

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

Listen to this article Colorado lawmakers are once again pursuing a new law that would save water by limiting the installation of nonnative ornamental turf as drought and climate change sap water supplies. —Elise Schmelzer, The Denver Post, 21 Feb. 2025

With three record-setting multi-year droughts in the last 15 years and warmer temperatures, a well above average snowpack is needed to reach average runoff. —Dan Perry, Newsweek, 20 Feb. 2025

Evergreen Stella® Daylily is heat and drought tolerant once established. —Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 20 Feb. 2025

Consistent with a climate increasingly prone to quick swings between drought and flood, record rainfall hit Southern California not long after the recent fires. —Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2025

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

Rhymes for drought

• bout
• clout
• doubt
• flout
• gout
• grout
• kraut
• lout
• out
• pout
• rout
• scout

Kids Definition

drought

noun

variants also drouth

ˈdrau̇t 

ˈdrau̇th

: a long period of dry weather

droughty

-ē

adjective