Idioms are vivid, expressive phrases that add a flavorful twist to conversations about hunger, capturing the intense craving for food or the metaphorical yearning for something more in a colorful and relatable way. Whether you’re describing an empty stomach, an insatiable appetite, or a deep desire for success, these idioms bring a delicious spark to your language, making it more engaging and lively.
In this extensive listicle, we’ll explore 42 idioms related to hunger, unpacking their meanings and showing how they can spice up your discussions about appetite and ambition. So, let’s dig into this feast of idioms and savor the creative ways they describe the sensation of being hungry.
What is an Idiom for Hungry?
Idioms for hungry are figurative expressions that use the concept of hunger to depict a physical need for food, an emotional craving, or a strong desire for achievement, often with vivid imagery or humor. These phrases make conversations about hunger more dynamic, whether you’re talking about a growling stomach or a burning ambition. Below, we’ll dive into each idiom, explain its meaning, and provide a long sentence to illustrate its use in context.
Idioms for Hungry
1. Hungry as a Wolf
Meaning: Extremely hungry, with a ravenous appetite.
In a Sentence: After hiking all day without a break, she was hungry as a wolf, eagerly devouring the hearty stew her friends had prepared at the campsite.
2. Starving to Death
Meaning: An exaggerated way to express extreme hunger or desperation for food.
In a Sentence: Having skipped breakfast and lunch to meet deadlines, he dramatically declared he was starving to death as he rushed to the kitchen for a sandwich.
3. Could Eat a Horse
Meaning: Feeling so hungry that one could consume a large amount of food.
In a Sentence: After an intense workout session at the gym, he felt like he could eat a horse, eagerly ordering a double portion of pasta at the restaurant.
4. Have a Hollow Leg
Meaning: To have an unusually large appetite, able to eat a lot without feeling full.
In a Sentence: Despite already eating two plates of barbecue, the teenager seemed to have a hollow leg, reaching for another helping of ribs with enthusiasm.
5. Hungry Enough to Eat Nails
Meaning: Extremely hungry, to the point of being willing to eat anything.
In a Sentence: After being stranded in the wilderness for hours, they were hungry enough to eat nails, gratefully accepting even the plainest emergency rations.
6. Eat Like a Bird
Meaning: To eat very little or pick at food, often implying a small appetite.
In a Sentence: Despite the lavish buffet spread before her, she ate like a bird, taking only a few bites of salad before declaring she was full.
7. Eat Like a Pig
Meaning: To eat greedily, messily, or in large quantities.
In a Sentence: At the all-you-can-eat pizza night, the kids ate like pigs, piling their plates high and leaving a trail of sauce and crumbs across the table.
8. Hungry for More
Meaning: A strong desire for additional success, knowledge, or experiences, beyond physical food.
In a Sentence: After landing her first major client, the ambitious entrepreneur was hungry for more, tirelessly seeking new opportunities to grow her business.
9. Bite Off More Than You Can Chew
Meaning: To take on more responsibilities or challenges than one can handle, often driven by ambition.
In a Sentence: In her eagerness to impress her boss, she bit off more than she could chew, agreeing to lead three major projects simultaneously while struggling to manage her time.
10. Hunger Pangs
Meaning: Sharp, physical sensations of hunger felt in the stomach.
In a Sentence: As the meeting dragged on past lunchtime, she felt hunger pangs gnawing at her stomach, making it hard to focus on the discussion.
11. Ravenous as a Bear
Meaning: Extremely hungry, with an intense, almost wild appetite.
In a Sentence: After fasting for a medical test, he was ravenous as a bear, tearing into a massive breakfast of pancakes, eggs, and bacon with gusto.
12. Famished to the Bone
Meaning: Completely exhausted by hunger, feeling it deeply.
In a Sentence: Stranded during the storm without food, they were famished to the bone by the time help arrived, gratefully accepting warm soup and bread.
13. Hungry as a Hunter
Meaning: Very hungry, often after physical exertion or a long period without food.
In a Sentence: After a long day tracking game in the forest, the group was hungry as hunters, eagerly gathering around the fire for a hearty meal of roasted meat.
14. Have a One-Track Mind
Meaning: To be obsessively focused on food or a single desire due to hunger.
In a Sentence: With dinner still hours away, he had a one-track mind, daydreaming about burgers and fries while barely hearing his friend’s conversation.
15. Eyes Bigger Than Your Stomach
Meaning: Taking more food than one can actually eat, due to overestimating hunger.
In a Sentence: At the buffet, her eyes were bigger than her stomach, piling her plate with desserts she couldn’t finish despite her initial excitement.
16. Hungry for Success
Meaning: A strong ambition or desire to achieve goals, not related to physical hunger.
In a Sentence: Fresh out of college, she was hungry for success, working late nights and taking on extra projects to prove herself in the competitive marketing industry.
17. Feed the Beast
Meaning: To satisfy a strong craving or hunger, often with urgency.
In a Sentence: After hours of studying, he needed to feed the beast, raiding the fridge for leftovers to quell the growling hunger that distracted him from his books.
18. A Hungry Heart
Meaning: A deep emotional longing or desire for love, fulfillment, or purpose.
In a Sentence: Though she had a successful career, her hungry heart yearned for meaningful connections, prompting her to volunteer and build stronger friendships.
19. Running on Empty
Meaning: Feeling physically or mentally depleted, often due to lack of food or energy.
In a Sentence: After skipping meals to finish her presentation, she was running on empty, barely able to concentrate until she grabbed a quick snack to recharge.
20. Hungry as a Hound
Meaning: Extremely hungry, with a relentless appetite.
In a Sentence: After a long day of manual labor, the workers were hungry as hounds, devouring the catered barbecue like they hadn’t eaten in days.
21. Starve a Cold, Feed a Fever
Meaning: A folk saying suggesting different dietary approaches to illness, often used humorously.
In a Sentence: When her friend caught a cold, she jokingly advised to starve a cold and feed a fever, handing over a bowl of chicken soup just in case.
22. Eat Out of House and Home
Meaning: To consume a large amount of food, often humorously implying excessive eating.
In a Sentence: With three growing teenagers in the family, she teased that they were eating her out of house and home, constantly restocking the pantry.
23. Hungry for Knowledge
Meaning: A strong desire to learn or acquire new information.
In a Sentence: The young scientist was hungry for knowledge, spending hours in the library researching breakthroughs that could advance her field of study.
24. Gnawing Hunger
Meaning: A persistent, uncomfortable feeling of hunger that feels like it’s eating away at you.
In a Sentence: Trapped in a meeting with no snacks in sight, she felt a gnawing hunger that made her stomach rumble loudly, much to her embarrassment.
25. Hungry Like a Lion
Meaning: Fiercely hungry, with an intense, almost predatory appetite.
In a Sentence: After a grueling soccer match, the team was hungry like lions, tearing into the post-game pizza with a ferocity that left no slice behind.
26. Have a Sweet Tooth
Meaning: A strong craving or preference for sweet foods or desserts.
In a Sentence: Despite a full dinner, her sweet tooth demanded satisfaction, leading her to sneak a piece of chocolate cake from the fridge late at night.
27. Hungry for Power
Meaning: An intense ambition or desire for control or influence.
In a Sentence: The politician was hungry for power, tirelessly campaigning and networking to climb the ranks and secure a leadership position in the party.
28. Wolf Down
Meaning: To eat food quickly and greedily, often due to extreme hunger.
In a Sentence: Exhausted and starving after the long hike, he wolfed down his meal, barely pausing to taste the delicious chili his friend had cooked.
29. Hungry for Adventure
Meaning: A strong desire for new experiences or excitement.
In a Sentence: Fresh from routine office life, she was hungry for adventure, booking a solo trip to explore the rugged mountains and vibrant cultures of a distant country.
30. Licking Your Chops
Meaning: Eagerly anticipating food or an opportunity, often with visible excitement.
In a Sentence: As the chef brought out a steaming tray of lasagna, the guests were licking their chops, their mouths watering at the sight of the cheesy masterpiece.
31. Hungry as a Hawk
Meaning: Extremely hungry, with a sharp, focused appetite.
In a Sentence: After a morning of intense training, the athletes were hungry as hawks, diving into their lunch with a focus that rivaled their performance on the field.
32. Crave the Limelight
Meaning: A hunger for attention, recognition, or fame.
In a Sentence: The aspiring actor craved the limelight, auditioning for every role in hopes of landing a part that would make him a household name.
33. Hungry for Love
Meaning: A deep longing for romantic or emotional connection.
In a Sentence: After years of focusing on her career, she realized she was hungry for love, ready to open her heart and find a partner to share her life with.
34. A Bottomless Pit
Meaning: An insatiable appetite, where no amount of food seems to satisfy.
In a Sentence: His friends joked that his stomach was a bottomless pit, as he kept eating burgers long after everyone else at the barbecue was stuffed.
35. Hungry for Justice
Meaning: A strong desire to see fairness or right prevail.
In a Sentence: Motivated by the community’s struggles, the activist was hungry for justice, organizing protests to demand equal treatment and opportunities for all.
36. Scarf Down
Meaning: To eat food quickly and eagerly, often due to hunger.
In a Sentence: Rushing to catch the bus, she scarfed down her breakfast burrito, barely tasting it in her hurry to satisfy her morning hunger.
37. Hungry as a Sparrow
Meaning: Moderately hungry, often with a delicate or small appetite.
In a Sentence: After a light workout, she was hungry as a sparrow, opting for a small salad rather than the heavy meal her friends were enjoying.
38. Hunger for Glory
Meaning: A strong desire for recognition, fame, or achievement.
In a Sentence: The young athlete’s hunger for glory drove her to train relentlessly, dreaming of standing on the podium with a gold medal around her neck.
39. Gobble Up
Meaning: To eat food quickly and enthusiastically, often due to hunger.
In a Sentence: The kids gobbled up the freshly baked cookies, their hunger fueled by an afternoon of playing outside in the crisp autumn air.
40. Hungry for Change
Meaning: A strong desire for improvement or transformation in a situation.
In a Sentence: Frustrated by outdated policies, the employees were hungry for change, rallying together to propose new ideas that would modernize their workplace.
41. A Growling Stomach
Meaning: The audible sound of hunger, indicating a need for food.
In a Sentence: During the quiet exam, her growling stomach betrayed her hunger, drawing amused glances from classmates as she blushed and hoped for a quick break.
42. Hungry as a Vulture
Meaning: Extremely hungry, with a fierce, almost desperate appetite.
In a Sentence: After days of surviving on minimal rations during the expedition, the explorers were hungry as vultures, devouring the first proper meal they’d had in ages.
Quizzes About The Idioms in The Article
Quiz 1: Hungry as a Wolf
What does the idiom “Hungry as a wolf” mean?
a) Slightly peckish
b) Extremely hungry
c) Tired and weak
d) Emotionally upset
Quiz 2: Could Eat a Horse
What is the meaning of “Could eat a horse”?
a) Feeling full
b) Extremely hungry
c) Avoiding food
d) Eating slowly
Quiz 3: Eat Like a Bird
When someone “eats like a bird,” what are they doing?
a) Eating a lot
b) Eating very little
c) Eating messily
d) Eating quickly
Quiz 4: Hungry for Success
What does the idiom “Hungry for success” suggest?
a) A desire for food
b) A strong ambition to achieve goals
c) A need for rest
d) A dislike for work
Quiz 5: Eyes Bigger Than Your Stomach
What situation is described by “Eyes bigger than your stomach”?
a) Taking more food than you can eat
b) Eating slowly
c) Avoiding food
d) Cooking a large meal
Quiz 6: Wolf Down
If someone “wolfs down” their food, what do they do?
a) Eat slowly and carefully
b) Eat quickly and greedily
c) Share their meal
d) Refuse to eat
Quiz 7: A Bottomless Pit
What does the expression “A bottomless pit” imply?
a) A small appetite
b) An insatiable appetite
c) A dislike for food
d) A tidy eater
Quiz 8: Feed the Beast
When is it appropriate to say “Feed the beast”?
a) When satisfying a strong hunger
b) When cooking for guests
c) When avoiding food
d) When cleaning the kitchen
Quiz 9: Hungry for Knowledge
What is the meaning of “Hungry for knowledge”?
a) A desire to eat
b) A strong desire to learn
c) A need for rest
d) A dislike for studying
Quiz 10: Licking Your Chops
When someone is “licking their chops,” what are they doing?
a) Feeling full
b) Eagerly anticipating food or opportunity
c) Cleaning their plate
d) Avoiding a meal
Answers:
- b
- b
- b
- b
- a
- b
- b
- a
- b
- b
Conclusion
Idioms for hungry are like a hearty meal for your conversations, adding flavor, humor, and vividness to discussions about appetite, whether it’s a craving for food or a yearning for something greater. By sprinkling these idioms into your language, you can make your expressions more lively and relatable, turning even the simplest chat about hunger into a feast of creativity.