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)

1. to feel hunger; be hungry.

2. to have a strong desire.

verb (used with object)

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

• half-hungered
  adjective
• hungeringly
  adverb
• prehunger
  noun

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

The expansion of China's zero-tariff regime could increase African agricultural exports, which will "help to elevate rural incomes, improve rural productivity, and ultimately to reduce hunger and poverty", Johnston says.

From BBC • Apr. 30, 2026

Social Security was created to exactly avoid this kind of catastrophe, which would lead to homelessness, poverty and hunger, as it did in the 1930s.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 30, 2026

After meeting 9/11 first responders and victims' families, Charles, who is passionate about gardening and the environment, will visit an urban sustainable farming project providing mentorship to young people and tackling hunger.

From Barron's • Apr. 29, 2026

The applause had barely subsided before a collective hunger took over.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 28, 2026

The smell of the fresh bread makes me nearly faint with hunger.

From "Blood on the River" by Elisa Carbone

Related Words

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