Word
hunger
Phoneticshunger
US/ˈhəŋɡɝ/
UK/hˈʌŋɡɐ/
Definitions
01need for food
A2 · Elementary Uncountable noun
n. the uncomfortable feeling you get when you have not eaten enough food.
n. the physiological sensation or physical condition resulting from a lack of food.
日本語:空腹※
“After a long day of hiking, the children complained of hunger and exhaustion.”
“The charity works to alleviate chronic hunger in regions where drought has decimated the local harvest.”
Synonyms
Antonyms
02strong desire
B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun
n. a very strong wish or need for something, such as power, love, or information.
n. an intense desire, craving, or yearning for an abstract quality or achievement.
日本語:渇き※
“The young athlete had a real hunger for success and trained every morning.”
“Her hunger for knowledge led her to spend every weekend researching in the university archives.”
Antonyms
03to want something deeply
C1 · Advanced Literary
v. to want something very much.
v. to have an eager or consuming desire; typically used with the preposition 'for' or 'after'.
“The fans hungered for news about the band's new album.”
“In his early poems, he seems to hunger for a sense of belonging that he never quite found in the city.”
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “hunger” in context.
Verb
01. satisfy your hunger
“After the long hike, a large bowl of pasta was the only thing that could satisfy his hunger.”
verb + possessive + noun
02. suffer from hunger
“Millions of people in the region continue to suffer from hunger due to the ongoing drought.”
verb + prep + noun
Adjective
03. gnawing hunger
“She felt a gnawing hunger in her stomach as she realized she hadn't eaten since breakfast.”
adj + noun
04. insatiable hunger
“The young entrepreneur had an insatiable hunger for success and worked eighteen hours a day.”
adj + noun
Noun
05. hunger strike
“The prisoners went on a hunger strike to protest against the poor living conditions.”
noun + noun
06. pangs of hunger
“The sharp pangs of hunger made it very difficult for the students to concentrate on their exam.”
noun + of + noun
Preposition
07. die of hunger
“In the 19th century, many people died of hunger when the potato crops failed.”
verb + prep + noun
08. faint with hunger
“By the time they reached the camp, the refugees were exhausted and faint with hunger.”
adj + prep + noun
Usage
Uncountable when referring to the general physical state or the global issue of food scarcity; countable when describing a specific, intense desire for something.
Real-World Examples
“At least 150,000 people in Yemen have been killed in the fighting, and hundreds of thousands more have died from related causes such as hunger and diseases.” “The doubt for anyone when a long-strived-for goal has been achieved is hunger.” Word family
NOUN
ADJECTIVE
Idioms
01. hunger sauce
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B2 FirstIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.5.5–6.5TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 4.0–4.572–94TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.785–944
- Frequency
- Common
- Level
- B2 · Upper IntermediateOxford
- Updated
- アルファベット
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/hunger
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「日本語」 data: JMdict (EDRDG), CC BY-SA 4.0