starvation

noun

star·​va·​tion stär-ˈvā-shən 

1

: the act or an instance of starving

2

: the state of being starved

Examples of starvation in a Sentence

The famine brought mass starvation.

Millions of people face starvation every day.

Recent Examples on the Web

Less than two years after an infant girl died of apparent starvation in Mesquite, the child's parents pleaded guilty to a lesser crime and received lengthy prison sentences. —Matthew Ablon, CBS News, 20 June 2026

The Israel Prison Service rejects allegations of abuse, starvation, or denial of medical treatment. —Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 20 June 2026

Most of the stories of starvation focused on strangers, or claimed that the respondent’s town had been spared the brunt of the famine—even when the statistics painted a different story entirely. —Amelia Soth, JSTOR Daily, 18 June 2026

Kyng's death was caused by child abuse, including blunt force trauma and neglect with starvation and dehydration, prosecutors allege. —Liam Quinn, PEOPLE, 17 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1762, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing starvation

• starvation diet
• starvation wages

Rhymes for starvation

• ablation
• aeration
• bination
• carnation
• cassation
• castration
• causation
• centration
• cessation
• cetacean
• chelation
• citation

Kids Definition

starvation

noun

star·​va·​tion stär-ˈvā-shən 

: the act or an instance of starving : the state of being starved

Medical Definition

starvation

noun

star·​va·​tion stär-ˈvā-shən 

1

: the act or an instance of starving

2

: the state of being starved