Library / English Dictionary

FAMISH

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Die of food deprivation

Example:

Many famished in the countryside during the drought

Synonyms:

famish; starve

Classified under:

Verbs of eating and drinking

Hypernyms (to "famish" is one way to...):

buy the farm; cash in one's chips; choke; conk; croak; decease; die; drop dead; exit; expire; give-up the ghost; go; kick the bucket; pass; pass away; perish; pop off; snuff it (pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s

Sense 2

Meaning:

Deprive of food

Example:

They starved the prisoners

Synonyms:

famish; starve

Classified under:

Verbs of eating and drinking

Hypernyms (to "famish" is one way to...):

deprive (keep from having, keeping, or obtaining)

Cause:

famish; hunger; starve (be hungry; go without food)

Verb group:

starve (deprive of a necessity and cause suffering)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s somebody

Sense 3

Meaning:

Be hungry; go without food

Example:

Let's eat--I'm starving!

Synonyms:

famish; hunger; starve

Classified under:

Verbs of eating and drinking

Hypernyms (to "famish" is one way to...):

hurt; suffer (feel pain or be in pain)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s PP

Credits

 Context examples: 

The wild wave of famished beasts rolled back before them, and Buck shook himself free.

(The Call of the Wild, by Jack London)

But I always woke and found it an empty mockery; and I was desolate and abandoned—my life dark, lonely, hopeless—my soul athirst and forbidden to drink—my heart famished and never to be fed.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

From this deficiency of nourishment resulted an abuse, which pressed hardly on the younger pupils: whenever the famished great girls had an opportunity, they would coax or menace the little ones out of their portion.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

Famished, I think.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

We feasted that evening as on nectar and ambrosia; and not the least delight of the entertainment was the smile of gratification with which our hostess regarded us, as we satisfied our famished appetites on the delicate fare she liberally supplied.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)