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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Recent Examples of starvation
Three teardrop incisions function as indices of starvation’s magnitude.
—
Anel Rakhimzhanova, Artforum, 1 Mar. 2026
Two women are facing charges after police said a Shih Tzu abandoned in a Westmoreland County apartment for nearly two weeks died of starvation and hypothermia.
—Madeline Bartos, CBS News, 27 Feb. 2026
The tiny bodies of weasels, shrews and bats burn energy so fast that skipping even one meal can mean starvation.
—Leonie Baier, The Conversation, 27 Feb. 2026
Ireland relied on potatoes as their main food source and trading income, resulting in mass starvation and disease.
—Bella Monaco, Dallas Morning News, 25 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for starvation
Anel Rakhimzhanova, Artforum, 1 Mar. 2026
Two women are facing charges after police said a Shih Tzu abandoned in a Westmoreland County apartment for nearly two weeks died of starvation and hypothermia.
—Madeline Bartos, CBS News, 27 Feb. 2026
The tiny bodies of weasels, shrews and bats burn energy so fast that skipping even one meal can mean starvation.
—Leonie Baier, The Conversation, 27 Feb. 2026
Ireland relied on potatoes as their main food source and trading income, resulting in mass starvation and disease.
—Bella Monaco, Dallas Morning News, 25 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for starvation
Recent Examples of Synonyms for starvation
Noun
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The poor, especially the poor in the West, aren't dying of hunger and starvation.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
19 Mar. 2026
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The global numbers of food-insecure people could reach levels that were last seen at the start of the war in Ukraine, which triggered a cost of living crisis and saw global hunger reach record levels with 349 million people impacted, the WFP added.—
Yarden Segev,
NBC news,
17 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The story of how so many Irish came to call this corner of Pennsylvania their own stretches back nearly three centuries, shaped by famine and faith, hard labor and hard politics, and a tenacity that left its mark on nearly every institution the city holds dear.—
Paula Kane,
The Conversation,
13 Mar. 2026
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Meanwhile, about 200,000 Filipino civilians died from violence, famine, or disease.—
Jonathan Zimmerman,
New York Daily News,
13 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Since Tarrant County Sheriff Bill Waybourn took office in 2017, more than 70 inmates have died in Tarrant County Jail from causes ranging from malnutrition and dehydration to use of force by jail staff, as was the case with Anthony Johnson, whose death was ruled a homicide.—
Matthew Adams,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
11 Mar. 2026
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Data and recordings from more than a hundred 911 calls at Camp East Montana in El Paso, Texas, along with interviews and court filings, offer a disturbing portrait of overcrowding, medical neglect, malnutrition and emotional distress.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
6 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Starvation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/starvation. Accessed 20 Mar. 2026.
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