starved; starving
1
a
: to perish from lack of food
b
: to suffer extreme hunger
2
a
archaic
: to die of cold
b
British
: to suffer greatly from cold
3
: to suffer or perish from deprivation
starved for affection
1
a
: to kill with hunger
b
: to deprive of nourishment
c
: to cause to capitulate by or as if by depriving of nourishment
2
: to destroy by or cause to suffer from deprivation
3
archaic
: to kill with cold
Examples of starve in a Sentence
Without food they would starve.
They left him to starve out in the desert.
providing food for starving children
They tried to starve their enemies into submission.
It was clear that the dog had been starved.
You don't have to starve yourself to lose weight.
Recent Examples on the Web
Instead of distributing food to sites in Gaza where people are starving, the new group will operate in only four new zones with Israeli soldiers guarding the perimeters, NPR's Daniel Estrin reports.
—
Brittney Melton, NPR, 27 May 2025
The last time anyone saw the Franklin expedition was when Inuit hunters encountered starving sailors dragging a lifeboat across the ice in Washington Bay, clad in wool rather than furs.
—Alec Luhn, Scientific American, 20 May 2025
Kate Phillips-Barrasso, vice president of global policy and advocacy at the Mercy Corps NGO told Newsweek in a statement Gaza's food system has collapsed, humanitarian operations are paralyzed and people are starving.
—Brendan Cole, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 May 2025
Jokes about starving yourself aren’t funny While some defenders of this content argue it’s not meant to be taken seriously, Tarpley finds the trending motifs often describe specific anorexia symptoms.
—Oona Hanson, CNN Money, 16 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for starve
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Brittney Melton, NPR, 27 May 2025
The last time anyone saw the Franklin expedition was when Inuit hunters encountered starving sailors dragging a lifeboat across the ice in Washington Bay, clad in wool rather than furs.
—Alec Luhn, Scientific American, 20 May 2025
Kate Phillips-Barrasso, vice president of global policy and advocacy at the Mercy Corps NGO told Newsweek in a statement Gaza's food system has collapsed, humanitarian operations are paralyzed and people are starving.
—Brendan Cole, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 May 2025
Jokes about starving yourself aren’t funny While some defenders of this content argue it’s not meant to be taken seriously, Tarpley finds the trending motifs often describe specific anorexia symptoms.
—Oona Hanson, CNN Money, 16 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for starve
Cite this Entry
“Starve.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/starve. Accessed 3 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
starve
verb
starved; starving
1
: to suffer or die or cause to suffer or die from lack of food
2
: to suffer or die or cause to suffer or die from a lack of something other than food
a child starving for affection
Etymology
Old English steorfan "to die (from any cause)"
Medical Definition
starve
verb
starved; starving
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