starve

/stɑːv/ (bre, ipa) · /stɑːrv/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈstärv/ (ame, mw)

starve — 動詞

  • starvepresent simple I / you / we / they
  • starveshe / she / it
  • starvedpast simple
  • starving-ing form

1. to become so weak that you die because you have too little to eat, or to force a

1.動詞及物 / 不及物B1
釋義

餓死；使挨餓

因缺乏食物而瀕臨死亡或嚴重虛弱

to become so weak that you die because you have too little to eat, or to force a person or animal into this state by withholding food.

例句

During the drought, the cattle began to starve because the pastures had turned to dust.

乾旱期間，牛群開始餓死，因為牧場已化為塵土。

intransitive: starve (without object)

Hao's parents starved themselves to save enough food for their children during the famine.

Hao 的父母在饑荒期間自己挨餓，以便省下足夠的食物給孩子們。

transitive: starve + reflexive pronoun

同義詞
  • famish

    archaic or literary; very rarely used in modern everyday English

  • go hungry

    less severe; refers to missing a meal rather than prolonged starvation

  • perish

    broader meaning — can refer to death from any cause, not just lack of food

反義詞
  • feed

    to give food to someone who needs it

  • nourish

    to provide food that sustains growth and health

文法句型

starve (intransitive)

starve + person/animal + to death

starve + noun (transitive)

be starved (passive)

用法筆記

Frequently used in both transitive patterns (where someone is actively denied food) and intransitive patterns (describing a natural outcome of food shortage). The passive construction 'be starved' is also common, especially in humanitarian contexts.

常見錯誤

❌She starved to die because there was no food.
✅She starved to death because there was no food.
💡The fixed collocation is 'starve to death', not 'starve to die'.
❌The prisoners were starved from food.
✅The prisoners were starved of food.
💡Use 'of', not 'from', when someone is deprived of something.

2. to feel extremely hungry — used informally as an exaggeration when you have not

2.動詞不及物B1
釋義

很餓

非常飢餓，常用於誇飾說法

to feel extremely hungry — used informally as an exaggeration when you have not eaten for a while.

例句

After a six-hour hike, Hannah announced she was starving and needed food immediately.

經過六小時的健行後，Hannah 說她餓壞了，需要立刻吃東西。

progressive aspect: 'was starving'

Felipe had skipped lunch and was absolutely starving by the time dinner was served.

Felipe 沒吃午餐，到了晚餐時間已經餓得不得了。

collocation: absolutely starving

同義詞
  • be ravenous

    slightly more formal, but equally strong; suggests a deep hunger

  • be famished

    informal, similar register; common in British English

文法句型

be starving (continuous/progressive form)

starving for (informal)

feel like + subject + is starving

用法筆記

Almost always used in the continuous/progressive form ('I am starving', 'she was starving'), not the simple present ('I starve'). Avoid this sense in formal writing, where 'very hungry' is preferred.

常見錯誤

❌I starve — when will lunch be ready?
✅I am starving
💡when will lunch be ready?' — This sense requires the continuous/progressive form.

3. to be kept from getting enough of something important that you need for your emo

3.動詞及物 / 不及物B2
釋義

匱乏；缺乏

得不到所需之物而受苦

to be kept from getting enough of something important that you need for your emotional, social, or physical well-being — for example, a child starved of love, or a school starved of funding.

例句

Children who are starved of affection often struggle to form close relationships later in life.

缺乏關愛的孩子長大後往往難以建立親密的人際關係。

passive: be starved of + abstract noun (affection)

The country's rural schools are starved of resources, with few textbooks and no computers.

該國的鄉村學校資源嚴重匱乏，教科書寥寥無幾，也沒有電腦。

passive: be starved of + concrete resource

同義詞
  • lack

    broader meaning; applies to anything from food to skill to money

  • want

    formal or literary; similar to 'lack' but slightly old-fashioned

  • be deprived of

    close in meaning; expresses the same sense of not having something needed

反義詞

文法句型

be starved of + noun

starve + noun + of + noun

starve for + noun

用法筆記

Commonly appears in the pattern 'be starved of [something]', where the missing element is usually non-material (affection, attention, investment, creativity). Distinguish from sense 1: this meaning does not involve food or physical starvation.

常見錯誤

❌The city is starved from investment.
✅The city is starved of investment.
💡The required preposition after 'starved' in this sense is 'of', not 'from'.
❌She starved for food.' (when literal starvation is meant)
✅She starved for food.
💡Actually, if food is scarce, use sense 1: 'She starved (to death).' This sense (sense 3) typically concerns non-food needs.