Starve — Defs

01 v. i. To die; to perish.

imp. & p. p. Starved; p. pr. & vb. n. Starving

1.
To die; to perish.[Obs., except in the sense of perishing with cold or hunger.]
“In hot coals he hath himself raked . . . Thus starved this worthy mighty Hercules.” — Chaucer.
2.
To perish with hunger; to suffer extreme hunger or want; to be very indigent.
“Sometimes virtue starves, while vice is fed.” — Pope.
3.
To perish or die with cold.
“Have I seen the naked starve for cold?” — Sandys.

“Starving with cold as well as hunger.” — W. Irving.

02 v. t. To destroy with cold.

1.
To destroy with cold.[Eng.]
“From beds of raging fire, to starve in ice Their soft ethereal warmth.” — Milton.
2.
To kill with hunger; as, maliciously to starve a man is, in law, murder.
3.
To distress or subdue by famine; as, to starve a garrison into a surrender.
“Attalus endeavored to starve Italy by stopping their convoy of provisions from Africa.” — Arbuthnot.
4.
To destroy by want of any kind; as, to starve plants by depriving them of proper light and air.
5.
To deprive of force or vigor; to disable.
“The pens of historians, writing thereof, seemed starved for matter in an age so fruitful of memorable actions.” — Fuller.

“The powers of their minds are starved by disuse.” — Locke.