as in shortage
a falling short of an essential or desirable amount or number
there's a famine of good general practitioners in many rural areas
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Recent Examples of famine
Israeli restrictions, fighting and the breakdown of law and order have hindered humanitarian aid delivery, raising fears of famine, while hunger leaves people at greater risk of disease and death.
—
Wafaa Shurafa and Majdi Mohammed, Los Angeles Times, 29 Dec. 2024
But with the current war, the humanitarian situation in the camp has deteriorated, leading to the official confirmation of famine in August.
—Emmanuel Akinwotu, NPR, 21 Dec. 2024
But with war in its second year, Netanyahu and his allies still insist that Israel must root out Hamas' presence in the enclave, even as more than 43,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks and those remaining in the enclave face famine and humanitarian crisis.
—Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA TODAY, 11 Dec. 2024
The area has been cut off from food and other aid for months, raising fears of famine.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 28 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for famine 
Wafaa Shurafa and Majdi Mohammed, Los Angeles Times, 29 Dec. 2024
But with the current war, the humanitarian situation in the camp has deteriorated, leading to the official confirmation of famine in August.
—Emmanuel Akinwotu, NPR, 21 Dec. 2024
But with war in its second year, Netanyahu and his allies still insist that Israel must root out Hamas' presence in the enclave, even as more than 43,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks and those remaining in the enclave face famine and humanitarian crisis.
—Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA TODAY, 11 Dec. 2024
The area has been cut off from food and other aid for months, raising fears of famine.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 28 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for famine
Recent Examples of Synonyms for famine
Noun
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Rankings consider forecasted price increases, how quickly homes sell, inventory shortages, rising rents and local job and population growth, using data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. Census Bureau and the company’s own listing data.—
Mike Winters,
CNBC,
20 Jan. 2025
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Rather than going after industry technology or enforcing restrictive mandates, Maryland policymakers should look to these successful models and focus on the underlying issues — the housing shortage, inflationary pressures and overregulation.—
David Byrd,
Baltimore Sun,
20 Jan. 2025
Noun
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The problem describes the apparent lack of high-luminosity progenitors detected in supernova pre-images, write the authors of a paper just submitted to The Astrophysical Journal.—
Bruce Dorminey,
Forbes,
13 Jan. 2025
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In 2024, Iran exported 587 million barrels of oil, an increase of 10.75% compared to the previous year due to OPEC cuts and lack of sanctions enforcement.—
Chris Massaro,
Fox News,
13 Jan. 2025
Noun
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The Kings were widely criticized for firing Brown, who led them to the playoffs for the first time since 2006, ending the longest playoff drought in NBA history after 16 consecutive losing seasons.—
Jason Anderson,
Sacramento Bee,
17 Jan. 2025
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Now the Bears, who last won a postseason game in January 2011, have the third-longest drought in the league without a playoff win, behind only the Dolphins, who last won a playoff game in 2000, and Raiders (January 2003).—
Dan Wiederer,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near famine
Cite this Entry
“Famine.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/famine. Accessed 23 Jan. 2025.
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