binge drinking

noun

: an act or pattern of excessive consumption of alcohol

The reality is, however, that college drinking, especially binge drinking—defined as five or more drinks in a sitting for men and four for women—is a serious, and sometimes fatal, problem.

—Maria Caliri

The contentious tax on alcopops has failed to influence teenage drinkers and done nothing to curb binge drinking, according to the first survey of underage alcohol use since the federal government introduced the excise hike.

—Melissa Fyfe

The Wisconsin Alcohol Policy Project has developed strategies to reduce binge drinking by identifying bars that routinely over-serve customers, as well as community festivals that overemphasize drinking.

—Chris Hubbuch

—often hyphenated when used before another noun

a binge-drinking problem

binge drink intransitive verb

binge drank; binge drank also binge drunk; binge drinking; binge drinks

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 in 6 U.S. adults binge drinks, with 25% doing so at least weekly.

—Annika Olson

binge drinker noun

plural binge drinkers

Respondents who report consuming five or more drinks on at least one occasion during the past month are considered binge drinkers and are at the highest risk for alcohol-related problems.

—Paula Mergenhagen

Examples of binge drinking in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

According to the Post, patients who reported binge drinking were the most impacted. —Charlotte Phillipp, Peoplemag, 29 Mar. 2024

Avoiding binge drinking and smoking could also help reduce the risk, according to the CDC. —Sarah Al-Arshani, USA TODAY, 11 Jan. 2024

The state had the ninth-highest rate in the country of people who reported binge drinking, heavy drinking or both. —Meg Wingerter, The Denver Post, 4 Jan. 2024

The campaign has had tangible effects in a country where beer flows freely at sidewalk restaurants and binge drinking is common. —Chau Doan, New York Times, 14 Feb. 2024

Cutting down on smoking, refraining from binge drinking, and getting plenty of physical exercise, may also improve brain health, according to the CDC. —Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 19 Jan. 2024

The 38-year-old Filipina said the partnership with Hawkins for these events felt as intense and fulfilling as their early days in retail — this time without the fog of binge drinking. —Alexa Juliana Ard, Washington Post, 13 Jan. 2024

But binge drinking can harm your liver and other organs and break down important barriers in your intestines over time. —Dani Blum, New York Times, 8 Jan. 2024

Puerto Rican and Mexican men have the highest rates of binge drinking abuse, and the highest overall rates of severe alcohol abuse respectively, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. —Constanza Eliana Chinea, Los Angeles Times, 31 Oct. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1949, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

binge drinking

noun

variants also binge-drinking

: an act or pattern of excessive consumption of alcohol

binge drink intransitive verb

binge drinker noun