starving
STAH-vihng
Starving (adj) means suffering severely from lack of food, or, informally, extremely hungry. Example: “The charity delivers food to starving families overseas.”
adj
1
Suffering severely from lack of food, or, informally, extremely hungry.
"The charity delivers food to starving families overseas."
"Let's eat now — I'm starving."
"We had no lunch, so by four o'clock the whole team was starving."
How to use starving
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishVery hungry, whether that means literally close to starvation or just informally "really wanting food."
When to use it
In everyday speech, "I'm starving" almost always just means "very hungry," not actual starvation.
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Word forms
- Plural
- starvings
- Comparative
- more starving
- Superlative
- most starving
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
The charity delivers food to _____ families overseas.
Synonyms
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Related words
Rhymes for starving
See all rhymes for starving →Frequently asked questions
What does “starving” mean?
The word “starving” means suffering severely from lack of food, or, informally, extremely hungry. In plain terms, very hungry, whether that means literally close to starvation or just informally "really wanting food.".
How do you pronounce “starving”?
“Starving” is pronounced STAH-vihng (/ˈstɑɹvɪŋ/ in IPA).
How do you use “starving” in a sentence?
Here is “starving” used in a sentence: “The charity delivers food to starving families overseas.”
What part of speech is “starving”?
“Starving” is an adjective.
Is “starving” a common word?
“Starving” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B2 level.
What is the difference between starving and hungry?
Starving in its strict sense means suffering severely from a lack of food, describing a serious, potentially life-threatening condition. Informally, however, people use starving to mean simply very hungry, exaggerating for emphasis rather than describing real deprivation.
Is it okay to say "I'm starving" if you just missed lunch?
Yes, this is extremely common informal usage where starving means extremely hungry rather than literally suffering from lack of food. Context makes clear it is an exaggeration, not a medical claim.
Is starving used to describe people or can it describe something else?
Starving is most often used to describe people or animals lacking food, but it can extend to any situation involving severe deprivation, though the food-related sense is by far the most common.
