hunger

hunger — noun

1. the uncomfortable feeling inside your body that tells you it is time to eat.

1.nounA1
Definition

the uncomfortable feeling inside your body that tells you it is time to eat.

Example

After skipping lunch, a sharp hunger hit Justin around three o'clock.

collocation: sharp hunger for sudden intense need

The smell of fresh bread made Layla's hunger even harder to ignore.

Common collocations
  • sharp hunger
  • sudden hunger
  • feel hunger
  • reduce hunger
  • hunger pangs
  • hunger pains
Synonyms
  • hungriness

    a much less common, more clinical term for the same feeling

  • appetite

    the desire for food, often enjoyable rather than uncomfortable

Antonyms
  • fullness

    the satisfied feeling after eating enough

  • satiety

    the state of being completely full; more formal

Grammar Patterns

feel hunger

a hunger

hunger pangs

Usage Note

This sense is almost always uncountable, but 'a hunger' is possible when referring to a specific episode or type of hunger ('a hunger that would not go away').

Common Mistakes

I have hunger
I am hungry' or 'I feel hunger
English prefers the adjective 'hungry' for the everyday sensation; 'have hunger' sounds unnatural.
I have a big hunger for pizza
I am very hungry for pizza
'big hunger' is not idiomatic; use 'very hungry' or 'ravenous'.

2. a dangerous situation in which there is not enough food for people or animals in

2.nounB1
Definition

a dangerous situation in which there is not enough food for people or animals in a region, threatening their health.

Example

The long war brought severe hunger to millions of families in the region.

collocation: severe hunger for extreme food shortage

Aid workers rushed food supplies to areas where hunger was worst.

Common collocations
  • severe hunger
  • widespread hunger
  • suffer hunger
  • fight hunger
  • die of hunger
  • relieve hunger
  • end hunger
Synonyms
  • famine

    a widespread, extreme lack of food across a large region; more severe than hunger

  • starvation

    the state of suffering or dying from a severe lack of food

  • malnutrition

    poor health caused by not getting enough or the right kinds of food

Antonyms
  • plenty

    more than enough food for everyone

Grammar Patterns

suffer hunger

die of hunger

fight hunger

Usage Note

Unlike sense 1, this sense refers to a systemic or prolonged scarcity of food rather than a momentary bodily sensation. It is often used with verbs like 'suffer', 'die of', 'fight', 'end', or 'relieve'.

Common Mistakes

He died of hungry
He died of hunger
'hungry' is an adjective; the noun form 'hunger' is needed after 'die of'.
The hunger in this country is because of no rain
The hunger in this country is caused by the drought
'no rain' is grammatically possible but less natural than 'drought' in this context.

3. a very strong wish for something that is not food — for example, a hunger for su

3.nounB2
Definition

a very strong wish for something that is not food — for example, a hunger for success, knowledge, adventure, or justice.

Example

Meera's hunger for knowledge led her to read every book she could find.

pattern: hunger for [abstract noun]

The young musician had an unusual hunger for new sounds and unfamiliar styles.

Common collocations
  • hunger for [something]
  • a hunger to [verb]
  • insatiable hunger
  • burning hunger
Synonyms
  • craving

    a very strong, often physical desire; slightly more urgent and less dignified than hunger

  • longing

    a deep, emotional wish for something distant or lost; more sentimental

  • thirst

    a powerful desire, especially for more abstract things like knowledge or power

  • yearning

    a gentle but deep, persistent desire; more poetic in tone

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

hunger for [something]

a hunger to [verb]

a hunger for [thing]

Usage Note

This is a figurative extension of sense 1. It is commonly followed by 'for' + noun (hunger for power) or by a to-infinitive (hunger to prove oneself). It is less common with 'of' except in fixed literary phrases.

Common Mistakes

She has hunger of success
She has a hunger for success
the correct preposition is 'for', not 'of'.
His hunger of adventure took him everywhere
His hunger for adventure took him everywhere
same pattern; 'for' is required.

hunger — verb

Word family

  • hungry
    adjectiveA1
  • hungrily
    adverbB1
  • hunger-strike
    nounB2
  • hunger-strike
    verbC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/3

'Hunger' (for success, knowledge, justice) suggests a driving, almost physical need that pushes a person to act — it is the most urgent and action-oriented of the five. 'Craving' carries a more bodily, almost addictive quality (a craving for chocolate, for attention) and is often harder to resist. 'Longing' is gentler and more emotional, focused on something distant or lost (longing for home, for a childhood friend). 'Thirst' mirrors hunger as a metaphor for desire (thirst for power, for adventure) but feels slightly narrower, often linked to abstract or intellectual pursuits. 'Yearning' is the most poetic and sentimental — a deep, persistent ache for something that may never be fully reached. For example: 'Her hunger for justice made her a lawyer; his craving for approval made him a performer; my longing for the old days does not help me move forward.'

hunger ↗cravinglongingthirst ↗yearning

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • hunger for
  • hunger to
  • die of hunger
  • fight hunger
  • suffer from hunger

Prepositions

Etymology

Old EnglishGermanicEnglish

'Hunger' comes from the Old English word 'hungor', which has been in the language for over a thousand years. It is related to similar words in other Germanic languages, such as Old High German 'hungar' and Old Norse 'hungr'. The physical meaning — the need for food — is the original sense. The figurative meaning of a strong desire (hunger for power, for knowledge) developed later, by analogy, and has been in use since at least the 1300s.