starve

verb

STAHRV/stɑɹv/UKSTAHV/stɑːv/

Formsstarves, starving, starved

11 meanings of starve

Practice

1
verbintransitive
To feel extremely hungry.
Like feeling your stomach is completely empty.
I starve if I skip breakfast.
By lunchtime the kids were starving.
2
verbintransitive
To die because you do not have enough food.
Like a plant that dries up when it gets no water.
Many animals starve when winter food runs out.
Thousands starved during the long famine.
Note
3
verbintransitive
To suffer badly because you do not have enough food.
Like having far too little to eat, day after day.
Prisoners often starve under cruel jailers.
The stray dogs were starving on the cold streets.
Similarhunger
Note
4
verbtransitive
To kill someone, or try to, by not giving them food.
The cruel landlord tried to starve his tenants into leaving.
They starved the prisoners until many died.
Oppositefeed, nourish
5
verbtransitive
To make someone suffer badly by not giving them food.
The overseer would starve the workers as punishment.
They starved the captured soldiers for days.
Similarfamish
Oppositefeed, nourish
6
verbtransitive
To keep something from getting what it needs to work or live.
Like a plant that turns yellow when it gets no sunlight.
Cutting the budget starved the schools of basic supplies.
You can starve a fire by cutting off its air.
Similardeprive, rob, strip, drain
Oppositesupply, feed
Note
7
verbtransitive
To force enemy fighters to give up by cutting off their food.
The army planned to starve the defenders into surrender.
Their forces starved the garrison until the soldiers surrendered.
Note
8
verbintransitive
To get worse because it lacks something it really needs.
Like a fire that dies down when no one adds wood.
Small towns starve when every young person moves away.
The arts program slowly starved without proper funding.
Similarlanguish, wither, stagnate, decline, wilt
Oppositethrive, flourish, prosper
9
verbBritishtransitive
To make someone die or suffer from very cold weather.
Shut that door. You'll starve us all!
The bitter wind nearly starved the shepherds on the moor.
Similarfreeze, chill
Oppositewarm
Note

Less common meanings

10
verbdatedtransitive
To force a whole town to give up by cutting off its food.
The invaders tried to starve the city into surrender.
Their forces starved the trapped townspeople for months.
Note
11
verbobsoleteintransitive
To die, or to slowly waste away.
Note

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of starve apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origin

From Old English steorfan, meaning "to die." Its roots may go back to ideas of becoming stiff or losing strength.