shortage

A shortage is a lack or deficiency of something. Imagine running out of your favorite snack at the store.

When we talk about shortages, we usually refer to things like food, medicine, or other essential items that are missing from stores or supply chains. For example, if there's been bad weather and crops haven't grown well, you might hear that there's a shortage of fresh vegetables in the supermarkets. Or, if a big company has had production problems, people might notice a shortage of their popular product on store shelves. Shortages can happen for all sorts of reasons - maybe there's a problem with shipping or storage, or perhaps demand has suddenly increased and not enough is being made to meet it.