drought

A period of unusually low rainfall, longer and more severe than a dry spell.countableuncountable

• His village had faced a drought twice.
• The weather looked like drought―a thoroughly wicked drought; if the rain did not come before long, their crops would be burnt up.

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

• Sri Lanka ended their ten-game drought with a consolation win over Bangladesh.

dryness, aridness, dry heatarchaiccountableuncountable

• Thus I was; in the day the drought consumed me, and the frost by night; and my sleep departed from mine eyes.
• The consequences are, that a few days of severe drought, in the early parts of summer, or even when the grain is ripening, is sometimes fatal to the crop on moss.