Hungry as a bear Meaning in English
expression
ˈhəŋɡɹi/ /ˈæz/, /ˈɛz/ /ˈeɪ/, /ə/ /ˈbɛɹ
HUN-gree az uh BAIR
hˈʌŋɡɹi/ /ˈæs/ /æɪ/ /bˈeə
HUNG-gree az uh BAIR
Definition
This expression means you are extremely hungry, as if you could eat a huge amount of food.
Usage & Nuances
This phrase is informal and playful; it's used when you want to strongly emphasize hunger, often in casual conversation. It's not literal—it's similar to other animal comparisons like 'hungry as a wolf.' Common after not eating for a long time.
Spanish: hambriento como un osoPortuguese (BR): com fome de urso - faminto como um ursoPortuguese (PT): com fome de urso - esfomeado como um ursoChinese (Simplified): 饿得像熊一样Chinese (Traditional): 餓得像熊一樣Hindi: भालू की तरह भूखाArabic: جائع كدبBengali: ভালুকের মতো ক্ষুধার্তRussian: голодный как медведьJapanese: クマのようにお腹がすいているVietnamese: đói như gấuKorean: 곰처럼 배고픈Turkish: ayı gibi açUrdu: ریچھ کی طرح بھوکاIndonesian: lapar seperti beruang
Example Sentences
I'm hungry as a bear after skipping lunch.
basic
She came home hungry as a bear and ate everything.
basic
The kids are hungry as bears after playing soccer.
basic
Wow, I could eat a horse—I'm hungry as a bear!
natural
Don't talk to me before breakfast—I'm always hungry as a bear in the morning.
natural
After hiking all day, we sat down and were hungry as bears.
natural