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
After more than 700 days of war, 455 Palestinians have died of malnutrition or starvation, including 151 children, the health ministry in Gaza reported on October 1.
—
Soph Warnes, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2025
Not from deliberate starvation, but from scarcity.
—Eli Sharabi, Time, 1 Oct. 2025
Since 2017, Myanmar’s military has killed tens of thousands of Rohingya and exiled hundreds of thousands more to neighboring Bangladesh; in early 2025, the junta cut off food and supplies to the 130,000 Rohingya in Myanmar living in prison-like refugee camps, leading to starvation and disease.
—Dan Swift, Foreign Affairs, 30 Sep. 2025
The years-long conflict between the country’s army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces has led to the world’s gravest humanitarian crisis, leaving hundreds of thousands of people on the brink of starvation.
—semafor.com, 29 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for starvation
Soph Warnes, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2025
Not from deliberate starvation, but from scarcity.
—Eli Sharabi, Time, 1 Oct. 2025
Since 2017, Myanmar’s military has killed tens of thousands of Rohingya and exiled hundreds of thousands more to neighboring Bangladesh; in early 2025, the junta cut off food and supplies to the 130,000 Rohingya in Myanmar living in prison-like refugee camps, leading to starvation and disease.
—Dan Swift, Foreign Affairs, 30 Sep. 2025
The years-long conflict between the country’s army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces has led to the world’s gravest humanitarian crisis, leaving hundreds of thousands of people on the brink of starvation.
—semafor.com, 29 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for starvation
Recent Examples of Synonyms for starvation
Noun
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Food assistance leaders in the state worried about what will happen to Colorado communities already plagued by hunger after the looming federal cuts and restricted access to resources.—
Elizabeth Hernandez,
Denver Post,
16 Oct. 2025
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The hunger-desire gleaming in their eyes brought to mind that poem about goblin men selling goblin fruit.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Under the deal, Israel agreed to reopen five border crossings, which will help ease the flow of food and other supplies into Gaza, parts of which are experiencing famine.—
Darlene Superville,
Twin Cities,
13 Oct. 2025
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Those restrictions caused widespread hunger across Gaza, and famine in Gaza City.—
Richard Hall,
Time,
12 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Globally, for children 5 to 14, iron deficiency was the leading risk, followed by others related to unsafe water, sanitation, and hygiene and malnutrition.—
Deidre McPhillips,
CNN Money,
12 Oct. 2025
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Belliveau added that MedGlobal currently has a few trucks sitting at the border loaded with medicines and therapeutic food for those suffering from malnutrition.—
Mary Kekatos,
ABC News,
10 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Starvation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/starvation. Accessed 19 Oct. 2025.
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