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
Anyone who looks beyond the biggest headlines sees even more loss and suffering; starving children and millions displaced by civil war in Yemen; in Sudan, more than half of the population needs food and other humanitarian assistance.
—
Rabbi Dr. Kenneth Brander, Sun Sentinel, 26 Mar. 2025
In recent years, IPOs and major startup deals ground almost to a halt, starving investors and employees of liquidity.
—Bloomberg, The Mercury News, 24 Mar. 2025
But the Trump administration can starve the agency of resources.
—Annie Nova, CNBC, 20 Mar. 2025
Blockades, which are a lawful military tactic in the course of war, are regulated by international humanitarian law, but are not prohibited by it, as long as it is not used to intentionally starve the local civilian population.
—William Lambers, Newsweek, 10 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for starve
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.
Rabbi Dr. Kenneth Brander, Sun Sentinel, 26 Mar. 2025
In recent years, IPOs and major startup deals ground almost to a halt, starving investors and employees of liquidity.
—Bloomberg, The Mercury News, 24 Mar. 2025
But the Trump administration can starve the agency of resources.
—Annie Nova, CNBC, 20 Mar. 2025
Blockades, which are a lawful military tactic in the course of war, are regulated by international humanitarian law, but are not prohibited by it, as long as it is not used to intentionally starve the local civilian population.
—William Lambers, Newsweek, 10 Mar. 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 1 Apr. 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share