hunger

[ huhng-ger ]

noun

1. a compelling need or desire for food.
2. the painful sensation or state of weakness caused by the need of food:

   to collapse from hunger.

3. a shortage of food; famine.
4. a strong or compelling desire or craving:

   hunger for power.

   Synonyms: itch, lust, greed, appetite

verb (used without object)

1. to feel hunger; be hungry.
2. to have a strong desire.

verb (used with object)

1. Rare. to subject to hunger; starve.

hunger

/ ˈhʌŋɡə /

noun

1. a feeling of pain, emptiness, or weakness induced by lack of food
2. an appetite, desire, need, or craving

   hunger for a woman

verb

1. to have or cause to have a need or craving for food
2. intr; usually foll by for or after to have a great appetite or desire (for)

Other Words From

• hun·ger·ing·ly adverb
• half-hun·gered adjective
• pre·hun·ger noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of hunger¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English hungor; cognate with German Hunger

Word History and Origins

Origin of hunger¹

Old English hungor; related to Old High German hungar, Old Norse hungr, Gothic hūhrus

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. from hunger, Slang. deplorably bad; dreadful: Also strictly from hunger.

   The styles in coats this winter are from hunger.

Example Sentences

Jailed in England in 1973, after their part in a series of London car bombings, the sisters go on a hunger strike — they want to be moved to a women’s prison in Ireland — and are force-fed, a process shown with disturbing exactitude.

From Los Angeles Times

Like a nonfiction novel, Keefe’s book traces five decades of thorny history from the perspective of real-life characters, including the notorious Price sisters, Marian and Dolours, I.R.A. militants whose prison hunger strikes made front-page news in the 1970s, and Gerry Adams, the political leader who helped bring peace to Northern Ireland but has been accused of participating in atrocities committed during the height of the conflict.

From Los Angeles Times

Ultimately, much of the material in the book, including Hughes’ cinematic escape from prison and multiple grueling hunger strikes, was cut so that the Price sisters’ journey of radicalization and regret would take center stage.

From Los Angeles Times

If such cuts came to pass, it’s unclear what would happen to the programs those agencies oversee, including hunger reduction and nutrition programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

From Los Angeles Times

It's about improving food sustainability and reducing hunger worldwide.

From Salon

Related Words

• craving
• desire
• famine
• greed
• longing
• lust
• starvation
• yearning