definition of
scarce

[1] #1 scarce r. [barely, hardly, just, scarcely] only a very short time before; "they could barely hear the speaker"; "we hardly knew them"; "just missed being hit"; "had scarcely rung the bell when the door flew open"; "would have scarce arrived before she would have found some excuse to leave"- W.B.Ye. wn

[2] #2 scarce a. deficient in quantity or number compared with the demand; "fresh vegetables were scarce during the drought". wn