# hunger

/ˈhəŋɡɝ/ (US) · /hˈʌŋɡɐ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/hunger
Updated: 2026-08-15

## Senses

### 1. need for food

noun · CEFR A2

the uncomfortable feeling you get when you have not eaten enough food.

For teachers: the physiological sensation or physical condition resulting from a lack of food.

- 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.

### 2. strong desire

noun · CEFR B2

a very strong wish or need for something, such as power, love, or information.

For teachers: an intense desire, craving, or yearning for an abstract quality or achievement.

- 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.

### 3. to want something deeply

verb · CEFR C1 · Literary

to want something very much.

For teachers: 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.

Usage: Usually followed by the preposition 'for'.

## Examples

- I always feel a lot of hunger after my morning run.
- The charity works to reduce hunger in local communities by providing free meals to families in need.
- His relentless hunger for professional recognition drove him to work long hours, often at the expense of his personal relationships and physical health.

---

From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.