Definitions for drought
drought

Princeton's WordNet(5.00 / 2 votes)Rate this definition:

1. drought, drouthnoun

   a shortage of rainfall

   "farmers most affected by the drought hope that there may yet be sufficient rain early in the growing season"

2. drought, drouthnoun

   a prolonged shortage

   "when England defeated Pakistan it ended a ten-year drought"

Wiktionary(5.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. droughtnoun

   A period of below average rain fall, longer and more severe than a dry spell

2. droughtnoun

   A longer than expected term without success, particularly in sport.

3. Etymology: drugaþ

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. DROUGHTnoun

   Etymology: drugode, Saxon; drowth, Scottish.

   1. Dry weather; want of rain.

   O earth! I will befriend thee more with rain
   Than youthful April shall with all his showers:
   In Summer’s drought I’ll drop upon thee still. William Shakespeare, Tit. Andr.

   Great droughts in Summer, lasting ’till the end of August, some gentle showers upon them, and then some dry weather, portend a pestilent Summer the year following. Francis Bacon.

   To south the Persian bay,
   And inaccessible th’ Arabian drought. John Milton, Parad. Reg.

   As torrents in the drowth of Summer fail,
   So perisht man from death shall never rise. George Sandys.

   They were so learned in natural philosophy, that they foretold earthquakes and storms, great droughts, and great plagues. William Temple.

   In a drought the thirsty creatures cry,
   And gape upon the gather’d clouds for rain. Dryden.

   Upon a shower, after a drought, earthworms and landsnails innumerable come out of their lurking places. John Ray.

   2. Thirst; want of drink.

   His carcase, pin’d with hunger and with drought. John Milton.

   One whose drought
   Yet scarce allay’d, still eyes the current stream,
   Whose liquid murmur heard, new thirst excites. John Milton, P. L.

Webster Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Droughtnoun

   dryness; want of rain or of water; especially, such dryness of the weather as affects the earth, and prevents the growth of plants; aridity

2. Droughtnoun

   thirst; want of drink

3. Droughtnoun

   scarcity; lack

4. Etymology: [OE. droght, drougth, dru, AS. druga, from drugian to dry. See Dry, and cf. Drouth, which shows the original final sound.]

Freebase(2.75 / 4 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Drought

   Drought is an extended period of months or years when a region notes a deficiency in its water supply whether surface or underground water. Generally, this occurs when a region receives consistently below average precipitation. It can have a substantial impact on the ecosystem and agriculture of the affected region. Although droughts can persist for several years, even a short, intense drought can cause significant damage and harm the local economy. Many plant species, such as cacti, have adaptations such as reduced leaf area and waxy cuticles to enhance their ability to tolerate drought. Some others survive dry periods as buried seeds. Semi-permanent drought produces arid biomes such as deserts and grasslands. Most arid ecosystems have inherently low productivity. This global phenomenon has a widespread impact on agriculture. Lengthy periods of drought have long been a key trigger for mass migration and played a key role in a number of ongoing migrations and other humanitarian crises in the Horn of Africa and the Sahel.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Drought

   drowt, Drouth, drowth, n. dryness: want of rain or of water: thirst.—ns. Drought′iness, Drouth′iness.—adjs. Drought′y, Drouth′y, full of drought: very dry: wanting rain, thirsty. [A.S. drúgathe, dryness—drúgian, to dry.]

Matched Categories

1. • Dryness
   • Time Period

How to pronounce drought?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say drought in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of drought in Chaldean Numerology is: 4

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of drought in Pythagorean Numerology is: 3

Examples of drought in a Sentence

1. Linda Lewis:

   The production was okay last year, despite the drought, and there are more coping mechanisms in place this year.

2. Nancy Lindborg:

   With this latest, even more terrible drought hitting Ethiopia just five years later, the need to build resilience is more urgent than ever, without those efforts already made, the toll in Ethiopia would easily be much greater.

3. John Neilson-Gammon:

   Typically, when we have widespread drought across the state, we end up with fairly high summer temperatures, especially maximum temperatures, because there's less moisture for evaporation.

4. Steven Bohlen:

   As we’ve said before, the protection of California’s groundwater resources – as well as public health - is paramount, particularly in this time of extreme drought.

5. Chris Engel:

   It has been a fantastic supplement for farmers facing a drought and you can just ring up and get a truck load when you need it.

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