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

For the dinosaurs that survived the initial blast, the world became an unforgiving wilderness of starvation and severe climate shifts. — Kevin Brown, Forbes.com, 24 Sep. 2026

Cubs without a mother’s protection face multiple dangers—attacks from other bears, starvation, and more life-threatening risks. — Popular Science Team, Popular Science, 22 Sep. 2026

Animals were confined in overcrowded cages, covered in feces and suffered starvation, dehydration, open wounds and untreated medical conditions, Hochman said. — Sandra McDonald, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2026

But all of the effort is ultimately in vain, as every worker wasp will eventually perish from starvation or cold weather. — Caden Perry, jsonline.com, 10 Sep. 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