starved
/stɑːvd/ (bre, ipa) · [stˈɑrvd] /stɑːrvd/ (ame, ipa) · [stˈɑrvd] /ˈstärv How to pronounce starve (audio)/ (ame, mw)
starved — adjective
- starvedpositive
- starvedercomparative
- starvedestsuperlative
1. feeling so hungry that you badly need food right away
feeling so hungry that you badly need food right away
By the end of practice, Gita was starved and ate two sandwiches.
predicative: be + starved
After the delayed train, Noa felt starved when she reached home.
The kids came in starved after swimming at the lake all afternoon.
Salma sounded starved, so her brother ordered noodles for both of them.
文法句型
be / feel + starved
用法筆記
Usually used after be or feel in everyday speech. It is stronger and more dramatic than hungry, and often exaggerates a temporary need for food.
常見錯誤
2. not getting enough of something necessary, such as time, money, staff, or attent
not getting enough of something necessary, such as time, money, staff, or attention
Small rural schools are starved of science equipment and lab space.
be + starved of + resources
After the merger, the arts team felt starved of time and support.
The old neighborhood was starved of investment for more than a decade.
Renata said she felt starved of adult conversation during maternity leave.
- well-supplied
Having plenty of what is needed
- supported
Receiving enough help or resources
文法句型
be / feel + starved of + noun
用法筆記
This sense is usually followed by of and often refers to abstract needs such as money, support, staff, or attention rather than food.
常見錯誤
3. so thin from too little food that the body looks weak and unhealthy
so thin from too little food that the body looks weak and unhealthy
The shelter took in a starved dog that had wandered beside the highway.
attributive: starved + animal noun
After months alone, the rescued horse looked starved and weak.
look + starved
Leo was shocked by the starved calves standing in the muddy field.
When the photo appeared online, viewers worried the cat seemed starved.
- emaciated
More formal and often used in medical or news writing
- malnourished
Broader and more clinical; includes poor nutrition as well as too little food
- skeletal
Focuses on the visible bones and extreme thinness
文法句型
starved + noun
be / look / seem + starved
用法筆記
This describes visible physical damage from not having enough food over time. It is much stronger than thin or slim.
常見錯誤
starved — verb
- starvedpresent simple I / you / we / they
- starveds3rd person singular
- starveding-ing form
- starvededpast simple
1. to become dangerously weak or die because there is no food, or to make a person
to become dangerously weak or die because there is no food, or to make a person or animal suffer in that way
Crops failed for two years, and whole villages starved that winter.
intransitive: people starved during famine
During the siege, trapped families starved before aid trucks arrived.
The cruel keeper starved the bears until inspectors closed the park.
Many prisoners starved after the army cut off food to the camp.
文法句型
starve
starve somebody
starve to death
用法筆記
This is the literal food sense and often appears in contexts of famine, war, cruelty, or severe neglect. For an ordinary missed meal, English usually uses hungry instead.
常見錯誤
2. to lack something badly, or to keep a person, group, or place from getting what
to lack something badly, or to keep a person, group, or place from getting what it needs
After the factory closed, the town starved for jobs and fresh investment.
intransitive: starve for + needed thing
Repeated cuts starved the hospital of nurses, beds, and basic medicine.
transitive: starve + institution of resources
Officials starved village schools of funds for books and repairs.
The blockade starved the port of fuel until shops had to close.
文法句型
starve for + noun
starve somebody / something of + noun
用法筆記
In modern use, the intransitive pattern usually takes for, while the transitive pattern takes of. The sense is often figurative and commonly refers to money, staff, fuel, or attention.
常見錯誤
3. to suffer badly or die because of extreme cold
to suffer badly or die because of extreme cold
Two shepherds starved in the snow after the blizzard blocked the pass.
rare older use with cold exposure
The lost climber starved overnight when his wet clothes froze solid.
Without dry wood, the children nearly starved from the bitter cold.
Old records say several prisoners starved in unheated cells that winter.
文法句型
starve in the cold
starve from the cold
用法筆記
This cold sense is old-fashioned and mainly found in older writing or historical summaries. In ordinary modern English, people usually say freeze or freeze to death instead.