51Թ

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View synonyms for

famine

[ fam-in ]

noun

  1. extreme and general scarcity of food, as in a country or a large geographical area.
  2. any extreme and general scarcity.

    Synonyms: , , , ,

  3. extreme hunger; starvation.


famine

/ ˈæɪ /

noun

  1. a severe shortage of food, as through crop failure or overpopulation
  2. acute shortage of anything
  3. violent hunger
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of famine1

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English, from Middle French, derivative of faim “hunger,” from Latin ڲŧ; famish
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of famine1

C14: from Old French, via Vulgar Latin, from Latin ڲŧ hunger
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Idioms and Phrases

see feast or famine .
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Agency for International Development, Trump’s administration is denying financial support for life-saving medical interventions and access to clean water, food and shelter in countries ravaged by war, famine and natural disasters.

From

The siege had caused a new famine by the time that Israel, acting with U.S. consent, torpedoed the ceasefire with dozens of simultaneous strikes by hundreds of warplanes.

From

More than 12 million people have been forced to flee their homes and millions face acute food shortages, with parts of the country driven into famine.

From

But Sudan's people continue to bear the brunt of the war, which has inflicted massive death, destruction and human rights violations on civilians, and driven parts of the country into famine.

From

“There are five childhood diseases all kids are supposed to be immunized from under the age of five, because children die first in the famine, then pregnant women and lactating mothers,” Natsios said.

From

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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