# starve

/ˈstɑɹv/ (US) · /stˈɑːv/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/starve
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. to suffer or die from hunger

verb · CEFR B2

to suffer greatly or die because there is not enough food to eat.

For teachers: to perish or suffer extreme physiological distress due to a lack of food. Intransitive in this primary sense.

- During the long winter, many animals in the forest began to starve.
- The historical records describe a population forced to starve as the prolonged drought destroyed three consecutive seasons of staple crops.

### 2. to be very hungry

verb · CEFR B1 · Informal

to feel very hungry and want to eat immediately.

For teachers: to experience a strong sensation of hunger; frequently used as a hyperbolic figure of speech in informal contexts.

- Is dinner ready yet? I am absolutely starving.
- After a twelve-hour shift without a proper break, the entire crew was starving and headed straight for the nearest diner.

### 3. to deprive of food

verb · CEFR B2

to deliberately prevent a person or animal from having food.

For teachers: to cause a person or animal to suffer or die by withholding food. Transitive — takes a direct object.

- The cruel owner was arrested for trying to starve his dog.
- The military strategy was designed to starve the besieged city into submission by cutting off all supply routes from the north.

## Examples

- If we don't eat soon, I'm going to starve.
- The explorers were forced to eat their leather boots to avoid starving during the long winter.
- The documentary highlights how political instability can starve a population even when the surrounding regions have a surplus of agricultural resources.

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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.