: to cause to capitulate by or as if by depriving of nourishment
2
: to destroy by or cause to suffer from deprivation
3
archaic: to kill with cold
Example Sentences
Without food they would starve. They left him to starve out in the desert. providing food for starving children They tried to starve their enemies into submission. It was clear that the dog had been starved. You don't have to starve yourself to lose weight. See More
Recent Examples on the WebWithout algae, corals turn white and begin to starve. Lela Nargi, Washington Post, 16 Aug. 2022 The critics argue that buybacks are driven by greedy executives and starve firms of capital for investment. Jesse M. Fried And Charles C.y. Wang, WSJ, 9 Aug. 2022 Worse, this particular Monte Carlo simulation shows two out of 500 trajectories in which Sam loses everything — with plenty of years left to starve. Laurence Kotlikoff, Forbes, 8 Aug. 2022 Scientists say people can starve within three days.New York Times, 5 Aug. 2022 But high nutrients and warm waters can exacerbate the growth of those organisms and create what’s known as harmful algal blooms, which are becoming more common across California as temperatures rise and water systems starve, The Chronicle reported. Annie Vainshtein, San Francisco Chronicle, 2 Aug. 2022 International trade would break down, and people would begin to starve. Michael Holtz, The New Yorker, 22 July 2022 Eventually, the root will starve and die from lack of photosynthesis.oregonlive, 7 Aug. 2022 For the past year, the plight of manatees has been high on the commission’s agenda, as loss of seagrass to pollution caused a record number to starve to death. David Fleshler, Sun Sentinel, 15 Apr. 2022 See More
Word History
Etymology
Middle English sterven to die, starve, from Old English steorfan to die; akin to Old High German sterban to die, and probably to Lithuanian starinti to stiffen — more at stare