Definition
The feeling you get when your body needs food; hunger.
Example
Estou com muita fome depois do treino.
Show translation
I am very hungry after the workout.
Etymology
From Latin *famem* (accusative of *fames*, "hunger"), which also gave rise to Spanish *hambre* and French *faim*. The Latin root is related to *famine* in English, borrowed through Old French.
Cultural note
In Brazilian Portuguese, hunger is expressed with *estar com fome* ("to be with hunger") rather than a verb like "to be hungry." This construction — *estar com* + noun — is extremely common for physical states (e.g., *estar com sede* = to be thirsty, *estar com sono* = to be sleepy). English speakers who say *Eu sou com fome* (confusing *ser* with *estar com*) will sound unnatural, so the phrase is worth memorizing as a fixed chunk. **Fome** also carries strong social weight in Brazil, where food insecurity (*fome zero* — "zero hunger") has been a major political theme since the early 2000s.