Standard Lemma guide

starve

verb · 16 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /stɑːv/
  • General-American: /stɑɹv/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɑː(ɹ)v
  • CMU ARPABET: S T AA1 R V Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

verb

Meaning 1

To die because of lack of food or of not eating.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To suffer severely because of lack of food or of not eating.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

To be very hungry.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

Examples

  • I was starving so I wrote S.O.S. on the desert island using rocks.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

To kill or attempt to kill by depriving of food.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

verb

Meaning 5

To make suffer severely by depriving of food.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: famish

Antonyms: none provided

6

verb

Meaning 6

To force a combatant to submit or surrender by depriving of food, as in a targeted siege.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Examples

  • If they refuse to surrender the garrison, we'll just starve them out.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

verb

Meaning 7

To force a population center to submit or surrender by depriving of food, as in sieges in international armed conflicts.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: dated, transitive

Examples

  • Some historians have since classified the Siege of Leningrad as a genocide due to the intentional destruction of the city and the systematic starvation of its civilian population.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

verb

Meaning 8

To deprive of nourishment or of some vital component.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Examples

  • The uncaring parents starved the child of love.
  • The patient’s brain was starved of oxygen.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

9

verb

Meaning 9

To deteriorate for want of any essential thing.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

10

verb

Meaning 10

To kill with cold; to (cause to) die from cold.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: UK, transitive

Qualifier: especially Yorkshire and Lancashire

Examples

  • I was half starved waiting out in that wind.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

11

verb

Meaning 11

To die; in later use especially to die slowly, waste away.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive, obsolete

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

12

verb

Meaning 12

die of food deprivation

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • The political prisoners starved to death
  • Many famished in the countryside during the drought

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: famish

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: die, decease, perish, go, exit, pass away, expire, pass, kick the bucket, cash in one's chips, buy the farm, conk, give-up the ghost, drop dead, pop off, choke, croak, snuff it

13

verb

Meaning 13

deprive of food

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • They starved the prisoners

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: famish

Antonyms: feed

Broader terms: deprive

14

verb

Meaning 14

deprive of a necessity and cause suffering

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • he is starving her of love
  • The engine was starved of fuel

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: deprive

15

verb

Meaning 15

be hungry; go without food

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • Let's eat--I'm starving!

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: hunger, famish

Antonyms: be full

Broader terms: suffer, hurt

16

verb

Meaning 16

have a craving, appetite, or great desire for

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: crave, hunger, thirst, lust

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: desire, want

History

Etymology

From Middle English sterven (“to die, perish”), from Old English steorfan (“to die, perish”), from Proto-West Germanic *sterban, from Proto-Germanic *sterbaną (“to become stiff, die”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)terp- (“to lose strength, become numb, be motionless”); or from Proto-Indo-European *sterbh- (“to become stiff”), from *ster- (“stiff”); or a conflation of the aforementioned. Cognate with Scots stairve, sterve (“to die, perish, starve”), Saterland Frisian stjerwa (“to die”), West Frisian stjerre (“to die”), Dutch sterven (“to die”), German Low German starven (“to die”), German sterben (“to die”), Icelandic stirfinn (“peevish, froward”), Albanian shterp (“sterile, unproductive, barren land”).

Across languages

Translations

112 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: مَاتَ جَوْعًا (māta jawʕan) — to die because of lack of food
  • Asturian: esfamiar — to die because of lack of food
  • Belarusian: галада́ць (haladácʹ) — to die because of lack of food
  • Bulgarian: гладувам (gladuvam) — to die because of lack of food
  • Catalan: morir de gana — to die because of lack of food
  • Chinese Mandarin: 餓死 /饿死 (èsǐ) — to die because of lack of food
  • Czech: hladovět — to die because of lack of food
  • Dutch: verhongeren — to die because of lack of food
  • Dutch: sterven van de honger — to die because of lack of food
  • Faroese: svølta — to die because of lack of food
  • Finnish: nääntyä (nälkään) — to die because of lack of food
  • Finnish: nääntyä — to die because of lack of food
  • Finnish: kuolla nälkään — to die because of lack of food
  • French: mourir de faim — to die because of lack of food
  • Galician: esfamear — to die because of lack of food
  • Galician: alangrear — to die because of lack of food
  • German: verhungern — to die because of lack of food
  • German: Hungers sterben — to die because of lack of food
  • Greek: λιμοκτονώ (limoktonó) — to die because of lack of food
  • Hebrew: גָּוַע (gavá') — to die because of lack of food
  • Hungarian: éhenhal — to die because of lack of food
  • Indonesian: mati kelaparan — to die because of lack of food
  • Italian: morire di fame — to die because of lack of food
  • Japanese: 餓死する (gashi suru) — to die because of lack of food
  • Japanese: 飢える (ueru) — to die because of lack of food
  • Khün: ᩋᩧ᩠ᨷ — to die because of lack of food
  • Korean: 굶어죽다 (gulmeojukda) — to die because of lack of food
  • Polish: głodować — to die because of lack of food
  • Portuguese: morrer de fome — to die because of lack of food
  • Romanian: flămânzi — to die because of lack of food
  • Romanian: suferi de foame — to die because of lack of food
  • Romanian: muri de foame — to die because of lack of food
  • Russian: голода́ть (golodátʹ) — to die because of lack of food
  • Russian: умира́ть от го́лода (umirátʹ ot góloda) — to die because of lack of food
  • Russian: умира́ть с го́лоду (umirátʹ s gólodu) — to die because of lack of food
  • Russian: умира́ть с го́лода (umirátʹ s góloda) — to die because of lack of food
  • Slovak: hladovať — to die because of lack of food
  • Slovene: stradati — to die because of lack of food
  • Spanish: morir de hambre — to die because of lack of food
  • Swedish: svälta — to die because of lack of food
  • Tagalog: gutumin — to die because of lack of food
  • Telugu: ఆకలిచావు (ākalicāvu) — to die because of lack of food
  • Turkish: açlıktan ölmek — to die because of lack of food
  • Ukrainian: голодува́ти (holoduváty) — to die because of lack of food
  • Vietnamese: chết đói — to die because of lack of food
  • Azerbaijani: acından ölmək — to be very hungry
  • Bulgarian: умирам от глад (umiram ot glad) — to be very hungry
  • Chinese Mandarin: 饿死 (èsǐ) — to be very hungry
  • Dutch: rammelen — to be very hungry
  • Dutch: sterven van de honger — to be very hungry
  • Finnish: kuolla nälkään — to be very hungry
  • French: mourir de faim — to be very hungry
  • French: crever de faim — to be very hungry
  • French: crever la dalle — to be very hungry
  • French: avoir l'estomac dans les talons — to be very hungry
  • Galician: esfamear — to be very hungry
  • Galician: alangrear — to be very hungry
  • German: verhungern — to be very hungry
  • Greek: πεθαίνω της πείνας (pethaíno tis peínas) — to be very hungry
  • Greek: ψοφάω της πείνας (psofáo tis peínas) — to be very hungry
  • Hungarian: éhezik — to be very hungry
  • Indonesian: kelaparan — to be very hungry
  • Japanese: 飢える (ueru) — to be very hungry
  • Old Church Slavonic: алкати (alkati) — to be very hungry
  • Portuguese: estar morrendo de fome — to be very hungry
  • Portuguese: estar faminto — to be very hungry
  • Portuguese: estar louco de fome — to be very hungry
  • Quechua: yarqay — to be very hungry
  • Quechua: mallay — to be very hungry
  • Romanian: muri de foame — to be very hungry
  • Russian: проголода́ться (progolodátʹsja) — to be very hungry
  • Russian: изголода́ться (izgolodátʹsja) — to be very hungry
  • Russian: умира́ть от го́лода (umirátʹ ot góloda) — to be very hungry
  • Russian: голода́ть (golodátʹ) — to be very hungry
  • Spanish: morir de hambre — to be very hungry
  • Spanish: hambrear — to be very hungry
  • Swedish: svälta — to be very hungry
  • Swedish: vara svulten — to be very hungry
  • Swedish: vara utsvulten — to be very hungry
  • Tagalog: magutom — to be very hungry
  • Telugu: ఘోరకలి (ghōrakali) — to be very hungry
  • Turkish: açlıktan ölmek — to be very hungry
  • Vietnamese: đói ngấu — to be very hungry
  • Vietnamese: đói meo — to be very hungry
  • Welsh: llwgu — to be very hungry
  • Yakut: аас (aas) — to be very hungry
  • Faroese: svølta — to destroy by deprivation
  • Finnish: näännyttää — to destroy by deprivation
  • Finnish: nälkiinnyttää — to destroy by deprivation
  • Swedish: svälta (ut) — to destroy by deprivation
  • Dutch: uithongeren — to deprive of nourishment
  • Esperanto: malsati — to deprive of nourishment
  • Finnish: näännyttää — to deprive of nourishment
  • French: affamer — to deprive of nourishment
  • Galician: esfamear — to deprive of nourishment
  • German: verhungern lassen — to deprive of nourishment
  • German: aushungern — to deprive of nourishment
  • Hungarian: éheztet — to deprive of nourishment
  • Italian: affamare — to deprive of nourishment
  • Japanese: 飢えさせる (uesaseru) — to deprive of nourishment
  • Māori: whakatiki — to deprive of nourishment
  • Māori: whakapuango — to deprive of nourishment
  • Polish: głodzić — to deprive of nourishment
  • Portuguese: esfomear — to deprive of nourishment
  • Romanian: înfometa — to deprive of nourishment
  • Russian: мори́ть го́лодом (morítʹ gólodom) — to deprive of nourishment
  • Spanish: hambrear — to deprive of nourishment
  • Swedish: svälta (ut) — to deprive of nourishment
  • Telugu: చప్పిడికూడు (cappiḍikūḍu) — to deprive of nourishment
  • Turkish: aç bırakmak — to deprive of nourishment
  • Finnish: nääntyä — obsolete: to die — see also die
  • Russian: ча́хнуть (čáxnutʹ) — obsolete: to die — see also die