as in hunger
suffering or death caused by having nothing to eat or not enough to eat; the condition of someone who is starving
The famine brought mass starvation. Millions of people face starvation every day. They died from starvation.
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Recent Examples of starvation
The loss of seagrass in the Indian River Lagoon System undermined fisheries, tourism and wildlife, ultimately leading to the starvation of more than 1,200 manatees from 2020-25, peaking in 2021-22.
—
Hannah V. Herrero, The Conversation, 21 Apr. 2026
The primary caregivers of a 14-year-old girl who died from starvation and neglect in Live Oak more than a year ago were arrested in Washington on murder and child abuse charges, according to the Sutter County Sheriff’s Office.
—Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 20 Apr. 2026
Alice Ribes, emergency country director for the International Rescue Committee in Haiti, said millions continue to face a worsening crisis marked by escalating violence, hunger and starvation, forced displacement of people from their homes and outbreaks of disease.
—Syra Ortiz Blanes, Miami Herald, 17 Apr. 2026
They were promised all basic needs, but ended up trapped in North Korea’s poverty and starvation.
—Anthony Kuhn, NPR, 16 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for starvation
Hannah V. Herrero, The Conversation, 21 Apr. 2026
The primary caregivers of a 14-year-old girl who died from starvation and neglect in Live Oak more than a year ago were arrested in Washington on murder and child abuse charges, according to the Sutter County Sheriff’s Office.
—Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 20 Apr. 2026
Alice Ribes, emergency country director for the International Rescue Committee in Haiti, said millions continue to face a worsening crisis marked by escalating violence, hunger and starvation, forced displacement of people from their homes and outbreaks of disease.
—Syra Ortiz Blanes, Miami Herald, 17 Apr. 2026
They were promised all basic needs, but ended up trapped in North Korea’s poverty and starvation.
—Anthony Kuhn, NPR, 16 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for starvation
Recent Examples of Synonyms for starvation
Noun
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That standard is based on the Five Freedoms of animal welfare developed by the Farm Animal Welfare Council, which include freedom from hunger and thirst; from discomfort; from pain, from injury or disease, from fear and distress; and freedom to express normal behavior.—
Jennifer Bringle,
Footwear News,
29 Apr. 2026
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After the Ground Zero event, the monarch, who prides himself on his environmental advocacy, will head uptown for a meeting in Harlem with a group that promotes urban farming programs for children and young people affected by hunger and food insecurity.—
Dave Goldiner,
New York Daily News,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Within the next few years, as famine spread throughout China and the Cultural Revolution began, her grandmother and three of her brothers died of starvation, tuberculosis, and drowning.—
René Ostberg,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
23 Apr. 2026
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Stress evolved to keep you alive in the face of acute danger – predators, famine, immediate physical threat.—
Phil Starks,
The Conversation,
21 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Crohn’s Disease affects the entire digestive system, and symptoms may include diarrhea, abdominal pain, and weight loss, as well as malnutrition and mouth sores.—
Lindy Segal,
PEOPLE,
24 Apr. 2026
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As a result, Germany's civilian population faced severe food shortages and widespread malnutrition in the latter years of the war.—
Scott Neuman,
NPR,
16 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Starvation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/starvation. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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