starving
starving — adjective
1. without enough food for such a long time that death is near or could happen.
without enough food for such a long time that death is near or could happen.
The aid convoy finally reached the starving families in the mountain village.
collocation: starving families / starving people
Photographs of starving children moved people around the world to donate money.
collocation: starving children
Veterinarians found a starving dog wandering near the abandoned farmhouse.
After three months with almost no food, the prisoners were starving when soldiers freed them.
用法筆記
This sense describes a life-threatening condition, not ordinary hunger. Distinguish from sense 2 (VERY HUNGRY), which is a mild exaggeration in everyday speech.
常見錯誤
2. feeling a strong need to eat; very hungry. Used in everyday conversation as an e
feeling a strong need to eat; very hungry. Used in everyday conversation as an exaggeration — the speaker is not in real danger of starving.
I did not eat any lunch today, so I am absolutely starving right now.
intensifier pattern: absolutely starving / completely starving
After a long hike through the forest, everyone in the group was starving and ready for dinner.
The kids came home from school starving and grabbed apples from the fruit bowl.
Mei-Lin skipped breakfast and by eleven o'clock she was starving.
Is dinner ready yet? I'm starving — that workout really emptied my stomach.
用法筆記
By far the most common use of starving in everyday speech. The exaggeration is mild and socially acceptable — similar to saying 'I'm dying of thirst' for being very thirsty.
常見錯誤
3. feeling uncomfortably cold, often because the weather is cold or because a place
feeling uncomfortably cold, often because the weather is cold or because a place is not heated. Used as an exaggeration.
Put on a thicker coat — you will be starving out there in this wind.
future prediction: will be starving in [cold place]
The old house had no heating, and by midnight everyone was absolutely starving.
Jack rushed inside after shovelling snow, complaining that he was absolutely starving in the cold.
The camping trip turned miserable when the temperature dropped and everyone was starving in their sleeping bags.
用法筆記
This sense is primarily British and less common than sense 2. It typically appears in informal contexts about weather or poorly heated spaces.
starving — verb
1. to die because there has been no food available for a very long time. Refers to
to die because there has been no food available for a very long time. Refers to the final outcome of extreme hunger, not the intermediate suffering.
During the long drought, thousands of cattle starved on the dry plains.
subject = animal; natural disaster context
Historians estimate that over a million people starved during the famine of that decade.
historical context; 'over a million people starved'
The abandoned kittens would have starved if the neighbour had not found them in time.
No one in the village starved because the relief agency delivered rice and beans every week.
- perish from hunger
more formal and literary
- die of starvation
more explicit about the cause of death
文法句型
starve (no object)
用法筆記
Frequently used in historical or news contexts about famines. Distinguish from sense 2 (SUFFER EXTREME HUNGER) — this sense describes the fatal result, while sense 2 describes the painful experience.
常見錯誤
2. to experience very strong hunger for a long time, without enough food to stay he
to experience very strong hunger for a long time, without enough food to stay healthy or comfortable. The person is suffering but may not be close to death.
The prisoners of war were forced to starve for weeks with only a cup of rice each day.
passive construction: were forced to starve
Many refugees starved on the long journey across the mountains to the border.
Emma took in three stray cats that had been starving in the alley behind her shop.
The documentary showed how families in the drought region were starving and desperate for clean water.
- go hungry
less severe; can refer to missing a single meal
- suffer from hunger
more formal and clinical
文法句型
starve (no object)
用法筆記
Often appears in progressive aspect (be starving / were starving) to describe an ongoing state. This is the most common intransitive use of the verb starve.
3. to suffer or die because the weather or environment is too cold, especially when
to suffer or die because the weather or environment is too cold, especially when there is no shelter or warm clothing available.
The old wanderer looked as if he might starve with cold on that frozen bench.
collocation: starve with cold
Without firewood, the mountain climbers feared they would starve in the icy wind before morning.
In the harsh winter of 1947, many poor families starved because they had no coal for their stoves.
- freeze
the standard modern verb for suffering from cold
- perish from cold
more formal and literary
- keep warm
to maintain a comfortable body temperature
文法句型
starve with cold
用法筆記
This sense is regional (British) and historical. In modern usage, 'freeze to death' or 'die of cold' are far more common. The cold sense of 'starve' survives mainly in older texts and dialect.
4. to suffer badly or fail because something necessary — such as money, attention,
to suffer badly or fail because something necessary — such as money, attention, education, or love — is not available. Used figuratively about emotional or intellectual needs.
The school library was starving for new books, with only old volumes from the 1980s.
pattern: starving for [resource]
Children who starve for affection often struggle to form close relationships as adults.
After years of budget cuts, the public hospital system was starving for trained nurses and basic supplies.
The artist felt she was starving for creative inspiration in that dull office job.
- lack
neutral; does not carry the same sense of suffering
- be deprived of
more formal; emphasises that someone or something is being withheld
- crave
emphasises strong desire rather than sustained lack
- have an abundance of
to have more than enough
- be rich in
to have plenty of something desirable
文法句型
starve for + something necessary
用法筆記
This sense is always figurative. It follows the pattern 'starve for + [abstract noun]'. The preposition 'for' is essential — without it, readers understand the literal hunger sense.
常見錯誤
5. to prevent a person, animal, or group from getting enough food, causing them to
to prevent a person, animal, or group from getting enough food, causing them to suffer or become weak. Used actively — someone is doing this on purpose or through neglect.
The cruel owner starved his horses by giving them only a handful of hay each day.
active transitive: [person] starved [animal] by...
The invading army starved the city by blocking all roads that brought in food supplies.
method pattern: starved [someone] by [method]
Reports revealed that the orphanage had been starving the children for years.
The landlord locked the cats inside the empty apartment and starved them for two weeks.
- deprive of food
more formal; less emotional impact
- withhold food from
explicitly states the withholding action
文法句型
starve + someone/something
starve + someone/something + of + noun
用法筆記
This is the transitive counterpart of sense 2. The subject actively withholds food. Can also appear as 'starve someone of something' in extended use (e.g., 'starve the project of funding').
常見錯誤
6. to use a lack of food or other essential supplies as a weapon, forcing people to
to use a lack of food or other essential supplies as a weapon, forcing people to give up or do what you want because they cannot survive otherwise.
The army surrounded the fort and tried to starve the soldiers into giving up their weapons.
pattern: starve [someone] into [action/gerund]
The rebel group hoped to starve the government into accepting their demands for reform.
Protesters outside the embassy said they would starve the diplomats into negotiating a peace deal.
- besiege
to surround a place to cut off supplies; broader than just food
- blockade
to prevent goods or people from entering or leaving
- starve out
phrasal verb meaning to force someone to leave by starvation
文法句型
starve + someone + into + gerund/noun
用法筆記
Almost always appears in military or political contexts. The construction 'starve someone into + [action]' is the hallmark — if this pattern is absent, the sense is likely sense 5 instead.
7. to damage or destroy something — such as a business, project, relationship, or e
to damage or destroy something — such as a business, project, relationship, or ecosystem — by not giving it the money, resources, or support it needs to survive.
The board starved the research department of funding until it could no longer operate.
pattern: starve [entity] of [resource]
Years of neglect starved the park of maintenance, leaving benches broken and paths overgrown.
The toxic culture at work starved employees of any sense of appreciation or progress.
By cutting the electricity supply, the corporation effectively starved the small factory of the power it needed.
文法句型
starve + something + of + noun
用法筆記
Fully metaphorical — the subject is not literally withholding food. The pattern 'starve X of Y' where Y is an abstract resource (funding, attention, maintenance) identifies this sense. Common in business and political writing.
8. to cause death or severe suffering in a person, animal, or plant by exposing the
to cause death or severe suffering in a person, animal, or plant by exposing them to extreme cold without protection.
The unexpected frost starved the young tomato plants before the farmer could cover them.
subject = weather event; object = plants
In past centuries, landlords sometimes starved poor tenants with cold by refusing to provide firewood.
The blizzard starved the lost hikers with cold, and only a helicopter rescue saved their lives.
- freeze to death
the standard modern expression
- kill with cold
more literal and transparent in meaning
- warm
to make warm
- shelter from cold
to protect from low temperatures
文法句型
starve + someone/something + with cold
用法筆記
This transitive cold sense is very rare in modern English. It is largely restricted to British dialect and historical texts. In contemporary language, 'freeze to death' or 'kill by freezing' are the standard expressions.