starvation

noun

star·​va·​tion stär-ˈvā-shən 

1

: the act or an instance of starving

2

: the state of being starved

Examples of starvation in a Sentence

The famine brought mass starvation.

Millions of people face starvation every day.

Recent Examples on the Web

An autopsy found that Jacqueline died of fatal child abuse with starvation. — Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 1 Oct. 2026

Books and stationary, burned for fuel in times of starvation and now subject to Israeli import restrictions, remain in desperately short supply. — Ghada Abdulfattah, Christian Science Monitor, 25 Sep. 2026

For the dinosaurs that survived the initial blast, the world became an unforgiving wilderness of starvation and severe climate shifts. — Kevin Brown, Forbes.com, 24 Sep. 2026

Cubs without a mother’s protection face multiple dangers—attacks from other bears, starvation, and more life-threatening risks. — Popular Science Team, Popular Science, 22 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1762, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing starvation

• starvation diet
• starvation wages

Rhymes for starvation

• ablation
• aeration
• bination
• carnation
• cassation
• castration
• causation
• centration
• cessation
• cetacean
• chelation
• citation

Kids Definition

starvation

noun

star·​va·​tion stär-ˈvā-shən 

: the act or an instance of starving : the state of being starved

Medical Definition

starvation

noun

star·​va·​tion stär-ˈvā-shən 

1

: the act or an instance of starving

2

: the state of being starved