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
The continent received over $8 billion a year, money that was used to feed starving children, supply lifesaving drugs and provide wartime humanitarian assistance.
—
Declan Walsh, New York Times, 8 Feb. 2025
Two starving boys, fleeing the Nazis in 1945, sharing a single raw egg.
—Norman Weinstein, The Christian Science Monitor, 5 Feb. 2025
Starring Josh Hartnett, Ewan McGregor and Eric Bana, the pic followed the journey of the U.S. sending special forces into Somalia to destabilize the government and bring food and humanitarian aid to the starving population.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 16 Jan. 2025
The International Criminal Court also issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister for the war crime of deliberately starving civilians, among other allegations.
—Brett Murphy, ProPublica, 15 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for starve 
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Declan Walsh, New York Times, 8 Feb. 2025
Two starving boys, fleeing the Nazis in 1945, sharing a single raw egg.
—Norman Weinstein, The Christian Science Monitor, 5 Feb. 2025
Starring Josh Hartnett, Ewan McGregor and Eric Bana, the pic followed the journey of the U.S. sending special forces into Somalia to destabilize the government and bring food and humanitarian aid to the starving population.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 16 Jan. 2025
The International Criminal Court also issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister for the war crime of deliberately starving civilians, among other allegations.
—Brett Murphy, ProPublica, 15 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for starve
Dictionary Entries Near starve
Cite this Entry
“Starve.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/starve. Accessed 16 Feb. 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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