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

Triggered by starvation, exercise, or diet, ketogenesis is an alternative form of energy production. — Mark Gurarie, Verywell Health, 7 July 2026

During the Blob and the strong El Niño that followed, researchers linked those cascading changes to widespread starvation among seabirds and other marine wildlife. — Brandi D. Addison, USA Today, 2 July 2026

Other messages described starvation, brutal military drills, constant drone attacks and recruits being punished for not understanding Russian commands. — Max Saltman, CNN Money, 28 June 2026

In the case of massive grid sabotage, AI could compound the chaos and lead to a starvation of city-dwellers unthinkable in modern times. — Simon Sebag Montefiore, The Atlantic, 28 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