Starve
/stɑːrv/
verbB1
Definition
Starve means to not have enough food, causing serious hunger or even death. It can also describe feeling very hungry for a short time. Sometimes, people or animals starve when there is no food available or they cannot get food.
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See It in Action
To suffer or die because of no food
- •Many animals starve during a drought when plants and water are scarce.
- •People in some countries starve because they cannot get enough food.
- •The prisoner was left to starve without any meals.
To feel very hungry
- •I am starving after working all day without lunch.
- •She said she was starving and wanted to eat right away.
Make It Stick
- ✓Think of "starve" like "hungry," but much stronger and more serious—when you feel very, very hungry or have no food at all.
- ✓Picture a person with an empty plate and a sad face, feeling weak because they have not eaten for a long time.
- ✓It's the feeling when your stomach hurts because you missed many meals or have no food.
- ✓Sounds like "starve" → imagine a star (bright light) that slowly goes out because it has no energy (food).
- ✓Think of stories or movies where people are lost in the wild and start to starve because they cannot find food.
- ✓NOT like "eat" (getting food), starve means the opposite—no food or very little food.
- ✓NOT like "snack" (small food), starve is about not having enough food at all.
- ✓NOT like "thirsty" (need water), starve is about needing food.
Try Other Words
- •Famine: a long time when many people do not have food (Use when talking about large groups or regions without food)
- •Deprive: to take away something needed, like food (Use when focusing on the action of not giving food)
- •Fast: to choose not to eat food for a time (Use when hunger is by choice, not by lack of food)
- •Hunger: the feeling or condition of needing food (Use for general feelings, less strong than starve)
Unboxing
- •Word parts: "starve" (whole root word, no prefix or suffix)
- •Etymology: From Old English "steorfan," meaning to die
- •Historical development: Originally meant to die, especially from lack of food; over time it also came to mean feeling very hungry
- •Modern usage: Used for both serious lack of food causing death and strong feelings of hunger; also used in expressions like "starving for attention" (meaning wanting something very much)
Reflect & Connect
•How does the word "starve" help us understand the difference between normal hunger and serious hunger?
•Can "starve" be used in non-food situations? How does that change its meaning?
Fill in the blanks
1.People starve when there is no ___ available for a long time.
2.When someone says "I am starving," they usually mean they feel very ___.
3.Starve is different from hungry because it shows a ___ level of hunger or lack of food.
4.Animals may starve during a drought because plants and water are ___.
5.Sometimes people starve not because they want to, but because they are ___ food.
6.The phrase "starving for attention" uses starve in a ___ way, not about food.
7.If you only skip one meal, you are hungry but you are not likely to ___.