hunger

[ huhng-ger ]

/ ˈhʌŋ gər /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR hunger ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a compelling need or desire for food.

the painful sensation or state of weakness caused by the need of food: to collapse from hunger.

a shortage of food; famine.

a strong or compelling desire or craving: hunger for power.

verb (used without object)

to feel hunger; be hungry.

to have a strong desire.

verb (used with object)

Rare. to subject to hunger; starve.

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Question 1 of 7

What does “Indigenous” mean?

characterized by cleverness or originality of invention or construction.

carried on abroad, or with other countries.

relating to or being a people who are the original, earliest known inhabitants of a region, or are their descendants.

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Idioms for hunger

from hunger, Slang. deplorably bad; dreadful: The styles in coats this winter are from hunger.Also strictly from hunger.

Origin of hunger

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

SYNONYMS FOR hunger

4 appetite, greed, lust, itch.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR hunger ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM hunger

hun·ger·ing·ly, adverbhalf-hungered, adjectivepre·hun·ger, noun

Words nearby hunger

hung, Hungarian, Hungarian bromegrass, Hungarian goulash, Hungary, hunger, hunger contractions, hungerly, hunger march, hunger pain, hunger strike

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for hunger

Understanding how the hunger for social contact is produced in the brain might allow a deeper understanding of the role social isolation plays in some illnesses.
Why do you feel lonely? Neuroscience is starting to find answers.|Amy Nordrum|September 4, 2020|MIT Technology Review
Europe has also seen a new level of social activism among soccer stars, with English national team players Marcus Rashford and Raheem Sterling making tangible gains on issues from childhood hunger to racial equality.
NBA players are perfectly positioned to lead a strike|Max Lockie|August 27, 2020|Quartz
They help us respond to hunger pangs and then tell us when we’ve eaten enough.
Explainer: What is puberty?|Esther Landhuis|August 27, 2020|Science News For Students
In addition to facing high rates of homelessness and hunger, food insecurity in the trans community is also a problem.
How Black Communities Are Bridging the Food Access Gap|Nadra Nittle|July 8, 2020|Eater

If we were able to fix that, so that women were no longer second-class citizens, I think it would impact every other problem that we have — hunger and the environment and war.
Does Hollywood Still Have a Princess Problem? (Ep. 394)|Stephen J. Dubner|October 24, 2019|Freakonomics
I wish this was the last time I had to worry about hunger and bombs.
Has the Kurdish Victory at Sinjar Turned the Tide of ISIS War?|Niqash|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
World peace, religious tolerance, and an end to global poverty, hunger, and disease.
Santa Fails One More Time|P. J. O’Rourke|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
His hunger strike in December 2011 received nation-wide recognition and was one of the sparks that ignited the protest movement.
Behind Bars for the Holidays: 11 Political Prisoners We Want to See Free In 2015|Movements.Org|December 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
While in pre-trial detention, Krivov undertook two hunger strikes.
Behind Bars for the Holidays: 11 Political Prisoners We Want to See Free In 2015|Movements.Org|December 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Now Jena Malone is 30, and with roles in Inherent Vice, The Hunger Games, and a massive superhero film, all the rage.
Jena Malone’s Long, Strange Trip From Homelessness to Hollywood Stardom|Marlow Stern|December 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In the province of Xanto the hunger was so great that they ate human flesh, for which there was a public market.
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898: Volume XVIII, 1617-1620|Various
Since my first experience with railroad ties, I have continued to associate them with hunger.
The River and I|John G. Neihardt
His hunger came back to him, and gave him a sharp pain in the stomach.
Bumper, The White Rabbit|George Ethelbert Walsh
Various things can influence the coming on of this degree of tension in the stomach, and so the possibility of hunger.
Physiology|Ernest G. Martin
And meanwhile the people are dying of hunger, crushed down by taxes.
Virgin Soil|Ivan S. Turgenev

British Dictionary definitions for hunger

hunger

/ (ˈhʌŋɡə) /

noun

a feeling of pain, emptiness, or weakness induced by lack of food

an appetite, desire, need, or cravinghunger for a woman

verb

to have or cause to have a need or craving for food

(intr; usually foll by for or after) to have a great appetite or desire (for)

Word Origin for hunger

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medical definitions for hunger

hunger

[ hŭng′gər ]

n.

A strong desire or need for food.

The discomfort, weakness, or pain caused by a prolonged lack of food.

A strong desire or craving, as for affection.

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hunger