starvation

Definition of starvationnext
as in hunger
suffering or death caused by having nothing to eat or not enough to eat; the condition of someone who is starving The famine brought mass starvation. Millions of people face starvation every day. They died from starvation.

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of starvation The villagers on the rock had ripped clothes and dirty faces, seemingly stunned that they had been found alive in the race against starvation and suffocation. Alexander Smith, NBC news, 27 May 2026 Imagine if more than one thousand Angelenos were dying of starvation every year while half the city was malnourished because a single cucumber cost $10. Henry Mantel, Daily News, 27 May 2026 The lower threshold is the point where starvation is prevented while maintaining all biological and metabolic needs. Kim Pfotenhauer, The Conversation, 22 May 2026 The experience emulates the strategy, physical competition and even starvation sometimes. Charlotte Walsh, PEOPLE, 20 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for starvation
Recent Examples of Synonyms for starvation
Noun
  • Take the drug away and your digestion speeds back up, the fullness signal fades and hunger returns.
    Ryan Brennan, Sacbee.com, 10 June 2026
  • Your gut ramps up hunger hormones and makes food taste more rewarding.
    Ryan Brennan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 June 2026
Noun
  • China wouldn’t have cleared that bar then, during Mao’s rule that claimed many millions of lives through famine and revolutionary upheaval.
    ABC News, ABC News, 13 June 2026
  • Maria is a witness to the old world with World War II, famine, and the new world.
    PhotoVogue, Vogue, 11 June 2026
Noun
  • From October thru December of 2024, more than 180,000 kids were screened for malnutrition in the area, according to data from the National Nutrition Development Council and Helen Keller.
    Jonathan Lambert, NPR, 13 June 2026
  • The free meals program, costing about 268 trillion rupiah ($15 billion) for this year alone, is aimed at alleviating poverty and malnutrition but Prabowo recently fired the head of the program amid a massive graft probe.
    ABC News, ABC News, 12 June 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Starvation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/starvation. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.

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