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.
They were tortured, starved, died, chemical weapons rained on them. Abc News, ABC News, 10 Dec. 2024 During the streaming era, as cord-cutting has starved ratings and many network owners have shifted programming to streaming, stations have expressed new levels of frustration. Dade Hayes, Deadline, 6 Dec. 2024 Operations were paused as a result, worsening the famine risk for people already starving. Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 30 Nov. 2024 The same communal conceit that nearly starved the Pilgrims destroyed lives in the Soviet Union and led to mass starvation in China. John Stossel, Orange County Register, 28 Nov. 2024 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

Dictionary Entries Near starve

Cite this Entry

“Starve.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/starve. Accessed 5 Jan. 2025.

Kids Definition

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

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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