famine
[noun]
Synonyms: hunger, dearth, scarcity, starvation

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English Thesaurus: disaster, catastrophe, tragedy, debacle, earthquake, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

fam‧ine /ˈfæmən, ˈfæmɪn/ noun [uncountable and countable]
[Date: 1300-1400; Language: French; Origin: Latin fames 'hungry condition']
a situation in which a large number of people have little or no food for a long time and many people die:
the great potato famine in Ireland
severe/widespread famine
Widespread famine had triggered a number of violent protests.
A million people are facing famine.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

famine
noun
ADJ. great, severe, terrible | widespread | imminent, impending Against a background of impending famine, heavy fighting took place.
VERB + FAMINE face, suffer Four million people are now facing famine. countries that regularly suffer famines
cause, produce | relieve
FAMINE + VERB strike When famine strikes, it is often women and children who suffer the most.
FAMINE + NOUN relief | victim
PREP. during a/the ~ Thousands of people died during the terrible famine of that year.
PHRASES a threat of famine

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

disaster a sudden event such as an accident, or a natural event such as a flood or storm, which causes great damage or suffering:
200 people died in the train disaster.
The earthquake was the worst natural disaster to hit India for over 50 years.
catastrophe a terrible event in which there is a lot of destruction, damage, suffering, or death over a wide area of the world:
A large comet hitting the earth would be a catastrophe.
We don’t want another nuclear catastrophe like Chernobyl.
Scientists say that the oil spill is an ecological catastrophe.
tragedy a very sad event, that shocks people because it involves death:
It was a tragedy that he died so young.
the AIDS tragedy in Africa
debacle an event or situation that is a complete failure and is very embarrassing:
The opening ceremony turned into a debacle.
The team is hoping to do better this game, after last week’s debacle against the Chicago Bears.
earthquake a sudden shaking of the earth’s surface that often causes a lot of damage:
A powerful earthquake struck the Indonesian island of Sulawesi.
It was the biggest earthquake to hit the Pacific Northwest for 52 years.
flood a very large amount of water that covers an area that is usually dry:
Bangladesh has been hit by a series of devastating floods (=very bad floods).
The crisis began with floods that covered one third of the countryside.
drought a long period of dry weather when there is not enough water for plants and animals to live:
The country experienced its worst drought this century.
In East Africa, three years of drought have left 10 million people in urgent need of food and water.
famine a situation in which a large number of people have little or no food for a long time and many people die:
Poor harvests led to famine.
4,000,000 people are threatened by famine in northern Ethiopia.
hurricane a storm that has very strong fast winds and that moves over water – used about storms in the North Atlantic Ocean:
extreme weather such as hurricanes
Hurricane Andrew left southern Florida in ruins.
typhoon a violent tropical storm – used about storms in the Western Pacific Ocean:
A typhoon has hit the Philippines, lifting roofs off houses and uprooting trees.
tsunami a very large wave, caused by extreme conditions such as an earthquake, which can cause a lot of damage when it reaches land:
Thousands of people were killed in the tsunami.
Many Pacific earthquakes have generated tsunamis.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

wet to put water or another liquid onto something to make it wet. In spoken English, people will often use get something wet rather than wet:
He wet the washcloth and washed Tom’s face.
splash to make someone or something wet by making a lot of small drops of water fall onto them:
The kids were playing around in the pool, splashing each other.
I accidentally splashed soup onto my shirt.
soak to put something in water for a long time or to make something very wet – use this especially when something is put into water or the water comes up from underneath to make it wet:
Soak the beans overnight before cooking.
The rain had come in through the bottom of our tent and completely soaked our clothes.
drench to make someone or something extremely wet with a large amount of water – use this especially when water is poured or falls on something:
He drenched us all with the hose.
Her shirt was drenched in sweat.
saturate formal to completely cover or fill something with liquid, so that it is wet all the way through:
Heavy rains had saturated the ground.
flood to cover an area of land with a large amount of water:
Farmers flood the fields in order to grow rice.
moisten to make something slightly wet by putting a small amount of water or another liquid on it, especially to stop it from getting too dry:
Add just enough water to moisten the cake mixture.
Tom paused and moistened his lips.
dampen to make something slightly wet by putting a little water on it:
Rain came in through the window, dampening the curtains.
earthquake a sudden shaking of the earth’s surface that often causes a lot of damage:
A powerful earthquake struck the Indonesian island of Sulawesi.
It was the biggest earthquake to hit the Pacific Northwest for 52 years.
drought a long period of dry weather when there is not enough water for plants and animals to live:
The country experienced its worst drought this century.
In East Africa, three years of drought have left 10 million people in urgent need of food and water.
famine a situation in which a large number of people have little or no food for a long time and many people die:
Poor harvests led to famine.
4,000,000 people are threatened by famine in northern Ethiopia.
hurricane a storm that has very strong fast winds and that moves over water – used about storms in the North Atlantic Ocean:
extreme weather such as hurricanes
Hurricane Andrew left southern Florida in ruins.
typhoon a violent tropical storm – used about storms in the Western Pacific Ocean:
A typhoon has hit the Philippines, lifting roofs off houses and uprooting trees.
tsunami a very large wave, caused by extreme conditions such as an earthquake, which can cause a lot of damage when it reaches land:
Thousands of people were killed in the tsunami.
Many Pacific earthquakes have generated tsunamis.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

famine
ˈfæmɪn
See: feast or a famine

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲