Did you know?

Click any word in a definition or example to find the entry for that word

indulge

 - definition
Close

What are red words?

90% of the time, speakers of English use just 7,500 words in speech and writing. These words appear in red, and are graded with stars. One-star words are frequent, two-star words are more frequent, and three-star words are the most frequent.

Close

Thesaurus

The thesaurus of synonyms and related words is fully integrated into the dictionary entries. Click on the T button in an entry to review the synonyms and related words for that meaning.

more
verb British English pronunciation: indulge /ɪnˈdʌldʒ/ 
Word Forms
Close
present tense
I/you/we/theyindulge
he/she/itindulges
present participleindulging
past tenseindulged
past participleindulged
  1. 1
    [intransitive/transitive] to allow yourself to have or do something that you enjoy
    indulge in:

    an opportunity to indulge in leisure activities like reading

    indulge yourself (in something):

    Indulge yourself – come on a gourmet food weekend.

    indulge a passion/taste/interest:

    The new job gave him the chance to indulge his passion for music.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  indulgeThesaurus entry for this meaning of indulge
    1. a.
      [transitive] to allow someone to do what they want or enjoy

      He loves his wife and indulges his sons.

      It’s part of her agent’s job to indulge her whims.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  indulgeThesaurus entry for this meaning of indulge
    2. b.
      [intransitive/transitive] to have or eat something that you enjoy but that you should not have much of

      Many people feel that their holiday is the time to indulge.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  indulgeThesaurus entry for this meaning of indulge
  2. 2
    [intransitive] to become involved in something that people do not approve of
    indulge in:

    He had indulged in affairs with several women.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  indulgeThesaurus entry for this meaning of indulge

This is the British English definition of indulge. View American English definition of indulge.

Change your default dictionary and thesaurus to American English.

 

vocal fry

a speech habit in which a speaker lowers their voice at the end of a sentence

BuzzWord Article

Word of the Day Word of the Day

glottal stop

a sound made by stopping air as it passes through your throat. In some varieties of spoken...

Open Dictionary

conflict mineral

a mineral which is mined in a place where there is armed conflict, and sold to help pay for weapons

add a word

Blog

A must for anyone with an interest in the changing face of language. The Macmillan Dictionary blog explores English as it is spoken around the world today.

global English and language change from our blog