starve

[stahrv]

verb (used without object)

starved, starving 

1. to die or perish from lack of food or nourishment.

2. to be in the process of perishing or suffering severely from hunger.

3. to suffer from extreme poverty and need.

4. to feel a strong need or desire.

   The child was starving for affection.

5. Chiefly British Dialect.,  to perish or suffer extremely from cold.

6. Obsolete.,  to die.

verb (used with object)

starved, starving 

1. to cause to starve; kill, weaken, or reduce by lack of food.

2. to subdue, or force to some condition or action, by hunger.

   to starve a besieged garrison into a surrender.

3. to cause to suffer for lack of something needed or craved.

4. Chiefly British Dialect.,  to cause to perish, or to suffer extremely, from cold.

starve

/ stɑːv /

verb

1. to die or cause to die from lack of food

2. to deprive (a person or animal) or (of a person, etc) to be deprived of food

3. informal,  (intr) to be very hungry

4. to deprive or be deprived (of something necessary), esp so as to cause suffering or malfunctioning

   the engine was starved of fuel

5. to bring (to) a specified condition by starving

   to starve someone into submission

6. archaic,  to be or cause to be extremely cold

Other Word Forms

• starver noun
• half-starved adjective
• half-starving adjective
• self-starved adjective
• unstarved adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of starve¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English sterven, Old English steorfan “to die”; cognate with German sterben

Word History and Origins

Origin of starve¹

Old English steorfan to die; related to Old Frisian sterva to die, Old High German sterban to die

Synonym Study

See hungry.

Example Sentences

In one case, he told a defendant who was overweight and having trouble paying fines that he did not appear to be starving.

From Los Angeles Times

The vote on the Sanders resolution also took place at an especially visceral moment of Israel’s assault on Gaza, with images of starving children going viral and the international media reporting on a looming famine.

From Salon

The website home page of Lush now reads "stop starving Gaza" in large text, followed by "closed in solidarity".

From BBC

It’s unclear whether exceptions will be made for the Olympics, when millions of visitors will descend on a region already starved for housing.

From Los Angeles Times

It is alleged that some victims of the massacre were strangled if they took too long to starve to death.

From BBC

Related Words

• cease 
• forgo 
• pass up 
• quit 
• refrain 
• renounce 
• shun 
• withhold