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

The methods alleged include starvation, electric shock, asphyxiation and beatings. — Alice Gainer, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026

In November 2024, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued warrants for the arrest of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant, who were accused of using starvation as a method of warfare. — Literary Hub, 13 Oct. 2026

However, sometime within the past three years, an unknown person apparently hacked the mission’s voicemail, rerecording the greeting message as a satirical monologue about mass starvation and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. — Max Saltman, CNN Money, 6 Oct. 2026

Those being deported today weren’t captured and sold into bondage; many left home to escape civil war, gang violence or starvation. — Karen Masterson, The Conversation, 5 Oct. 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