Bored to tears

[0289] Starving

🎲 Dying of hunger/thirst
English Idioms
All Idioms

Explanation

  • Used hyperbolically to mean very hungry.
  • While starving literally means suffering or dying from lack of food, in everyday conversation, it simply means extremely hungry.

Origin

  • Comes from the Old English word steorfan, meaning to die.
  • Over time, its meaning narrowed specifically to dying from lack of food or exposure to cold.
  • Its hyperbolic use for very hungry is a common form of exaggeration for emphasis, likely centuries old.

Synonyms & Related Expressions

  • Famished
  • Ravenous
  • Peckish (UK, means slightly hungry)
  • Could eat a horse (Idiom for very hungry)
  • Hank Marvin (UK Cockney rhyming slang for 'starving')
  • Got the munchies (Usually implies hunger after smoking cannabis, but can be used generally for snack cravings)

Alternatives

Slang/Informal:

  • Could murder a [food item] (UK/Aus, e.g., Could murder a curry, means strongly desire)
  • Feel like I haven't eaten in days (Hyperbole)
  • My stomach is eating itself (Hyperbole)

Vulgar/Emphatic:

  • Fucking starving

Milder:

  • Very hungry
  • Really hungry
  • Famished
  • Quite hungry

Situational Appropriateness

  • Informal to semi-formal.
  • Common in everyday conversation. Might be slightly too informal for a very formal dinner setting initially, but generally acceptable. Avoid using it trivially in situations where actual starvation is a serious issue.

Misunderstanding Warnings

  • Non-native speakers should understand this is almost always hyperbole and doesn't mean the person is literally dying of hunger. Using it appropriately requires understanding this exaggeration.

Examples

  • What time is dinner? I'm starving!
  • Let's grab some food, I'm starving.
  • The kids came home from school absolutely starving.

Dialogue

Nora: Are you ready to order?

Omar: Yes, definitely. I'm starving! I skipped lunch today.

Nora: Oh wow. Okay, let's get the waiter's attention. What are you thinking of having?

Omar: Everything looks good, but I think I need that burger.

Social Media Examples

  • Tweet: Starving after that workout! Need protein ASAP. #gymlife #hungry #postworkoutmeal
  • Instagram Story: (Picture of food) Finally! Was absolutely starving. 🤤 #foodie #lunchtime
  • Facebook Post: Anyone else find they get starving around 3 PM every day? #snacktime #hungry

Response Patterns

  • Me too! Let's eat.
  • Okay, dinner will be ready soon.
  • What do you want to eat?
  • There are some snacks in the cupboard.

Common Follow-up Questions/Actions

After someone says I'm starving:

  • The logical follow-up is related to getting food: What should we eat?, Where should we go?, Let's order pizza., Dinner's almost ready.

After a response offering food or stating when it will be ready:

  • The hungry person usually expresses relief or asks further questions about the food.

Conversation Starter

  • Yes.
  • Can be used to initiate finding a place to eat or deciding on food. Anyone else starving? Should we grab lunch?

Intonation

  • Emphasis often falls on STAR-ving.
  • Can be said with urgency, impatience, or simply as a statement of strong hunger.

Generation Differences

  • Used universally by all age groups.

Regional Variations

  • Extremely common in all English-speaking regions.
Bored to tears
🎲 Dying of hunger/thirst