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Definition of hunger noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

hunger

noun
 
/ˈhʌŋɡə(r)/
 
/ˈhʌŋɡər/
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  1. [uncountable] the state of not having enough food to eat, especially when this causes illness or death synonym starvation
    • Around fifty people die of hunger every day in the camp.
    • The organization works to alleviate world hunger and disease.
    Extra Examples
    • Thousands of people have died of hunger.
    • the campaign to end world hunger
    Topics Social issuesb2
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • extreme
    • constant
    • global
    verb + hunger
    • feel
    • be weak from
    • be weak with
    hunger + noun
    • pangs
    • strike
    phrases
    • pangs of hunger
    See full entry
  2. [uncountable] the feeling caused by a need to eat
    • If you feel hunger pangs between meals, eat some fruit or nuts.
    • I felt faint with hunger.
    Extra Examples
    • The new snack bar will keep those hunger pangs at bay.
    • mid-morning, when those hunger pangs strike
    • The meal had not satisfied his hunger.
    • The walkers were weak from hunger.
    • Any good weight loss regime should not lead to extreme hunger.
    • It is usual to feel hunger during exercise.
    • Perhaps the cat was killing to satisfy hunger.
    Topics Feelingsb2
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • extreme
    • constant
    • global
    verb + hunger
    • feel
    • be weak from
    • be weak with
    hunger + noun
    • pangs
    • strike
    phrases
    • pangs of hunger
    See full entry
  3. [singular] hunger (for something) (formal) a strong desire for something
    • She has an insatiable hunger for knowledge.
    • Nothing seemed to satisfy their hunger for truth.
    Extra Examples
    • We sense a real hunger for something new and different in politics.
    • They have a hunger for power and influence.
    • He is driven by an insatiable creative hunger.
    • Here's another gritty series to satisfy your true crime hunger.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • deep
    • great
    • insatiable
    verb + hunger
    • feel
    • have
    • satisfy
    hunger + verb
    • grow
    preposition
    • hunger for
    See full entry
  4. Word OriginOld English hungor (noun), hyngran (verb), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch honger and German Hunger.
See hunger in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee hunger in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
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