starve

verb

ˈstärv How to pronounce starve (audio)
starved; starving

intransitive verb

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

transitive verb

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.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
To survive, vampire bats practice reciprocal altruism, sharing regurgitated blood with starving roost-mates—a rare and complex social behavior in the animal kingdom. — Scott Travers, Forbes, 12 Mar. 2025 Listen to this article Sean Payton, bless him, possesses all the gooey nostalgia of a starving polar bear. — Sean Keeler, The Denver Post, 11 Mar. 2025 Based on those numbers, Enrich projected that, if the cutbacks are not restored and other donors do not step in, each year: 1 million starving children won't have access to food and nutrition. — Melody Schreiber, NPR, 10 Mar. 2025 Us sitting here feeling guilty about people who share our heritage but are starving or suffering somewhere — what does that do for them? — Hershal Pandya, Vulture, 6 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for starve

Word History

Etymology

Middle English sterven to die, starve, from Old English steorfan to die; akin to Old High German sterban to die, and probably to Lithuanian starinti to stiffen — more at stare

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of starve was in the 15th century

Phrases Containing starve

Rhymes for starve

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Browse Nearby Words

starve
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Cite this Entry

“Starve.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/starve. Accessed 21 Mar. 2025.

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Kids Definition

starve

verb
ˈstärv How to pronounce starve (audio)
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
ˈstärv How to pronounce starve (audio)
starved; starving

intransitive verb

1
: to perish from lack of food
2
: to suffer extreme hunger

transitive verb

1
: to kill with hunger
2
: to deprive of nourishment

More from Merriam-Webster on starve

Nglish: Translation of starve for Spanish Speakers

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