Drought
Failed monsoons, cracked village wells, and thirteen-district headlines all spell this noun: skies that refuse to deliver for months.
Learn This WordMeaning
Long period without rain.
Memory trick
DROUGHT rhymes with out: the rain stays out for months.
Examples
Drought hit thirteen districts.
The third failed monsoon turned the village well into a tourist spot for dryness.
Drought relief reached late, so the sarpanch distributed fodder on credit.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Etymology
From Old English drugath "dryness." A rhymes-with-out word for skies that refuse to deliver.
Usage Notes
Slow calamity language: drought-prone, drought relief, drought-hit. Duration defines it; a week without rain is a dry spell, not a drought.
Real-life contexts
Use in GS: "Marathwada faces recurrent drought."
Use in essays: "Drought migrates people before it kills crops."
Use in news: "Thirteen districts declared drought-hit."
Common Mistakes
Drought (no rain) vs draught (beer pour or breeze): different words, same sound. Pronounce the gh silently: DROUT.
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Part of Speech
noun
Difficulty
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