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

Like the eternally single Zelda, Astoria has laid eggs (unfertilized, of course) in a nest on the ground and refused to abandon them for days at a time, putting her in danger of starvation and at risk of predation from unleashed dogs. —Scottie Andrew, CNN Money, 23 Nov. 2025

The famine, imposed by Soviet leader Josef Stalin in the early 1930s, led to millions of deaths from starvation. —Kerry Breen, CBS News, 22 Nov. 2025

In the summer of 1941, about six or seven children died daily in these prisons from starvation and diseases, according to accounts of survivors. —Zaya Rustamova, The Conversation, 19 Nov. 2025

And Israel’s war on Gaza, its genocide of Palestinians, carried on—totalizing violence, imminent starvation, the promise of death. —Literary Hub, 17 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1762, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing starvation

• starvation diet
• starvation wages

Rhymes for starvation

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

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