starve
To be in great need of food, or to feel very, very hungry.
To suffer or risk death because of not having enough food, often also used informally to mean to be extremely hungry.
To not give someone or an animal enough food, so that they suffer a lot and may die.
To deliberately or negligently prevent a person, animal, or group from getting enough food, so that they suffer or may die.
To not have enough of something important that you need or really want, like love, money, or rest.
To have far too little of something that is needed or strongly desired, such as money, time, love, or attention.
To not give enough money, help, or other things that are needed, usually on purpose, so that a person or group has problems.
To deliberately provide far too little of something that is needed for a person, organization, or system to function properly, such as money, information, or resources.
In some areas, to feel very, very cold.
In some regional varieties of English, to feel extremely cold or to suffer because of cold.
- Base: starve
- 3rd Person Singular: starves
- Present Participle: starving
- Past: starved
feed a cold, starve a fever
1old saying about food and illness
A traditional saying that tells people to eat more when they have a cold and to eat less when they have a fever. It is not strict medical advice and many people do not follow it.
- My grandmother always said, 'Feed a cold, starve a fever.'
- Some people still repeat the phrase 'feed a cold, starve a fever', even though doctors question it.
- He joked about 'feeding a cold and starving a fever' while deciding what soup to make.
starve for something
1want something very much from lack
To want or need something very much because you have not had enough of it for a long time.
- He grew up starved for affection.
- After months of lockdown, people were starving for live music.
- The kids are starving for some time outside in the sun.
starve out
1force to give in by cutting supplies
To make a person or group give up or leave a place by stopping food or other supplies from reaching them.
- The army tried to starve out the rebels by surrounding the city.
- Landlords used to starve out tenants by cutting off heat and water.
- They hoped to starve out the strikers, but public support stayed strong.
starve someone of something
1deny someone what they need
To not give a person or group enough of something they need, such as food, money, or love.
- The regime has starved its people of basic freedoms for decades.
- Underfunding has starved teachers of the tools they need to do their jobs.
- You should not starve children of the attention they need.
starve something of something
1keep an organization short of resources
To not give an organization, place, or system enough money, help, or other things it needs to work well.
- The policy has starved local services of funding.
- New regulations could starve small businesses of credit.
- Critics say the plan would starve public transport of investment.
starve to death
1die because of not enough food
To die because a person or animal does not get enough food for a long time.
- Many prisoners were left to starve to death in the camp.
- Without international aid, thousands could starve to death this year.
- They were determined not to let any of the animals starve to death.