drought
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
a long period of time when there is little or no rain.
a prolonged period of abnormally low rainfall, resulting in a water shortage that affects ecosystems and agriculture.
Simple“The crops failed this year because of the severe drought that lasted all summer.”
In context“The regional government declared a state of emergency after the drought depleted the reservoirs to less than twenty percent of their capacity.”
- 02 C1 Advanced
a long time without success or without getting something you want.
a metaphorical extension referring to a prolonged period without achievement, production, or success, particularly in a competitive context.
Simple“The team finally won a game, ending their three-month scoring drought.”
In context“After a decade-long drought of critical acclaim, the novelist finally secured a major literary prize with her latest historical epic.”
UsageOften used with 'ending' or 'breaking' to describe the return of success.
Usage drought conditions · drought declared
“While some rain is a possibility in southern England, there is a chance that some locations in drought may continue to miss out.”
“Three-quarters of England is now officially in drought .”
From Middle English droughte, droghte, drouȝte, from Old English drūgaþ. Cognate with Dutch droogte, Low German Dröögde. By surface analysis, dry + -t (abstract nominal suffix).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.