starve
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
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.
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
The abandoned kittens would have starved to death if a neighbour had not found them.
這群被遺棄的小貓原本會餓死，幸好有位鄰居發現了她們。
collocation: starve to death
Christopher refused to eat and threatened to starve himself until his demands were met.
Christopher 拒絕進食，並威脅要絕食抗議，直到他的要求得到滿足。
Felix tried to nurse the injured bird, but it starved despite all his care.
Felix 試圖照顧那隻受傷的鳥，但儘管他悉心照料，鳥兒還是餓死了。
- starve to death
- starve yourself
- starve someone/something
- starve of food
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
2. to feel extremely hungry — used informally as an exaggeration when you have not
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.
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
The smell of fresh bread from the bakery made Lucía feel like she was starving.
麵包店飄來的新鮮麵包香味讓 Lucía 覺得自己快餓扁了。
The children came indoors saying they were starving, though they had eaten only an hour ago.
孩子們進到屋裡說他們快餓死了，儘管他們一小時前才剛吃過東西。
informal register: exaggeration
Gabriel forgot his lunch at home and spent the afternoon telling everyone he was starving.
Gabriel 把午餐忘在家裡，整個下午都在跟每個人說他餓壞了。
- absolutely starving
- completely starving
- I'm starving
- 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
3. to be kept from getting enough of something important that you need for your emo
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.
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
Yara felt the city was culturally starved, with no theatres, galleries, or live music venues.
Yara 覺得這座城市缺乏文化底蘊，沒有劇院、美術館或現場音樂表演場地。
The public library has been starved of funding for years, and its roof now leaks badly.
這間公立圖書館多年來經費嚴重不足，屋頂現在嚴重漏水。
Anjali starved for companionship after moving to a new town where she knew absolutely no one.
Anjali 搬到一個新鎮後，因為一個人都不認識而極度渴望有人陪伴。
intransitive: starve for + noun (emotional need)
- starved of attention
- starved of funding
- starved of resources
- starved for companionship
- starved of love
- 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
- have plenty of
having enough or more than enough of something
- be well-supplied with
having everything needed
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
starve into
phrasal verbTo force someone to do something by preventing them from getting food.
以飢餓迫使
The rebels tried to starve the government into surrender.
They starved the prisoners into giving up information.
starve into doing
phrasal verbTo force someone to do something by depriving them of food.
以飢餓迫使做
The captors starved him into revealing the secret code.
She was starved into signing the contract after days without food.
starve of
phrasal verbTo deprive someone or something of something necessary.
缺乏
The neglected garden was starved of water and sunlight.
Children starved of affection may develop emotional problems.
starve out
phrasal verbTo force someone to leave a place by preventing them from getting food.
以飢餓逼出
The army surrounded the city to starve out the enemy troops.
They starved the rats out of the warehouse by sealing all food.
To be extremely hungry.
非常餓
After the long hike, Maya was starving for a big meal.
Aren't you starving? We haven't eaten since breakfast.
同根字
- starvation名詞B2
- starved形容詞B2
- starving形容詞B1