Drought
Pronunciation
- UK IPA: /ˈdɹaʊt/
- Rhymes: -aÊŠt
Alternative forms
Origin
From Old English drūġaþ.
Full definition of drought
Noun
drought
(plural droughts)- A period of below average rainfall, longer and more severe than a dry spell.
- 2012-01, Donald Worster, A Drier and Hotter Future, Phoenix and Lubbock are both caught in severe drought, and it is going to get much worse. We may see many such dust storms in the decades ahead, along with species extinctions, radical disturbance of ecosystems, and intensified social conflict over land and water. Welcome to the Anthropocene, the epoch when humans have become a major geological and climatic force.
- (by extension, informal) A longer than expected term without success, particularly in sport.