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starve

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Starve is defined as to die or suffer from hunger, or to have an intense want for something.

(verb)

An example of starve is someone being trapped and not being able to eat for five days.
An example of starve is a child acting up because they're lacking in attention.

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See starve in Webster's New World College Dictionary

intransitive verb starved, starving

1. to die from lack of food
2. to suffer or become weak from hunger
3. Informal to be ravenously hungry
to suffer great need: with for: starving for affection
Now Dial. to suffer and die slowly from any cause, esp. from extreme cold

Origin: ME sterven < OE steorfan, to die, perish, akin to Ger sterben: see start

transitive verb

to cause to starve by depriving of food
to force by starvation: to starve an enemy into submission
to cause to suffer from a lack or need of something specified
Now Dial. to cause to die from extreme cold

See starve in American Heritage Dictionary 4

verb starved starved, starv·ing, starves

verb, intransitive

To suffer or die from extreme or prolonged lack of food.
Informal To be hungry.
To suffer from deprivation.
Archaic To suffer or die from cold.

verb, transitive

To cause to starve.
To force to a specified state by starving.

Origin:

Origin: Middle English sterven, to die

Origin: , from Old English steorfan; see ster-¹ in Indo-European roots

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