Definition, Meaning & Synonyms

feast-or-famine

idiom

/fiːst ɔːr ˈfæmɪn/

Definition

A situation where there is either a large abundance or a complete lack of something.

Examples

During the harvest season, the farmers experienced a feast-or-famine situation, with some crops thriving while others failed.
Running a start-up can often feel like a feast-or-famine scenario, especially in the first few months.
His income varied wildly from month to month, making every month a feast-or-famine experience.

Meaning

The phrase ‘feast-or-famine’ is often used to describe conditions where there are extreme fluctuations in resources or circumstances, indicating a struggle between times of plenty and times of scarcity.