hunger

American  

[huhng-ger] / ˈhʌŋ gər /

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

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verb (used without object)

hungers, present (3rd person singular) hungered, past participle, past hungering present participle

1. to feel hunger; be hungry.

2. to have a strong desire.

verb (used with object)

hungers, present (3rd person singular) hungered, past participle, past hungering present participle

1. Rare. to subject to hunger; starve.

idioms

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

   The styles in coats this winter are from hunger.

hunger British  

/ 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

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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 Word Forms

Derived Forms

• prehunger
  noun
• half-hungered
  adjective
• hungeringly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Participles

• hungering
  present
• hungered
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• hunger
  simple
• hungers
  simple
• have hungered
  perfect
• has hungered
  perfect
• are hungering
  progressive
• am hungering
  progressive
• is hungering
  progressive
• have been hungering
  perfect progressive
• has been hungering
  perfect progressive

Past

• hungered
  simple
• had hungered
  perfect
• was hungering
  progressive
• were hungering
  progressive
• had been hungering
  perfect progressive

Future

• will hunger
  simple
• will have hungered
  perfect
• will be hungering
  progressive
• will have been hungering
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of hunger

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

Explanation

Hunger is the sensation of needing — or wanting — to eat something. People use the same word to describe a hankering for a snack or for the more dire meaning of starvation, as in "world hunger." Hunger sometimes refers to an extreme lack of food, the equivalent to starvation: "We need to do something about hunger in poor communities." It can also simply mean your afternoon craving: "My daily hunger for chocolate was distracting me from my work." You can also hunger for things, both food (like when you hunger for French fries) and non-food things (like when you hunger for attention).

Example Sentences

Truong repeated one of the blessings from the Sermon on the Mount: Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 17, 2026

Craig and Lindsay have been on hunger strike for 39 and 30 days respectively, their family says.

From BBC • Jun. 17, 2026

I’ll admit, one can of soup usually isn’t enough to satisfy my hunger.

From Salon • Jun. 13, 2026

"If we go to the city, hunger will kill us," said 53-year-old miner Rafael, echoing the same concerns.

From Barron's • Jun. 12, 2026

Although the sweetgrass smoke took away his weariness, it hadn’t taken away his hunger and thirst.

From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young

Related Words

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