binge

1 of 2

noun

plural binges
1
: an unrestrained and often excessive indulgence
a buying/shopping binge
a weekend-long TV binge
especially : an act of excessive or compulsive consumption (as of food or alcoholic beverages)
went on an eating/drinking binge
Meanwhile, the hangover cure pitches suggest that before every healthy New Year's resolution comes an unhealthy New Year's binge. M. Carrie Allan
see also binge drinking, binge eating, binge-watch
2
: a social gathering : party
… fancy-dress binges have always been my dish.P. G. Wodehouse

binge

2 of 2

verb

binged; bingeing or binging

intransitive verb

: to go on a binge
bingeing on beer and pretzels
Anorexics eat hardly anything while bulimics binge on large amounts of food, then purge themselves with laxatives or by vomiting or other means.Jon Marcus
binger noun

Examples of binge in a Sentence

Noun weekend binges are a serious problem at many colleges and universities a shopping binge at the mall Verb a program designed to educate college students about the dangers of bingeing
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Though there are plenty of new movies coming out this holiday season, there are also plenty of merry TV shows streaming online for the perfect holiday binge. Kelsie Gibson, Peoplemag, 24 Nov. 2023 Britain beat out most countries to rank high on a list of the biggest binge drinkers in the world, sitting behind only Romania and surprise No. 1 Denmark. Peter Aitken, Fox News, 8 Nov. 2023 Airlines’ hiring binge has suddenly thrust many pilots behind the controls of different, bigger planes than they are used to flying. Andrew Tangel, WSJ, 7 Nov. 2023 The world of entrepreneurship—a land filled with challenges, victories and late-night caffeine binges. Chris Kille, Forbes, 13 Nov. 2023 Higher interest rates, a recent buying binge, and unfamiliarity are causing a temporary weakening in demand. Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Oct. 2023 Some people should never drink a drop of alcohol, while others can engage in weekend binge drinking for periods with no consequences. Dominique Fluker, Essence, 11 Oct. 2023 Texas committed nearly half of the binge to Seager. Jorge Castillo, Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2023 The recent spending binges on Pioneer and Hess, then, should be thought of less as a sober, pragmatic assessment of where things stand than as another attempt by oil companies to tip the scales in their favor. Kate Aronoff, The New Republic, 25 Oct. 2023
Verb
Source: Teal Insights analysis of International Monetary Fund data The world spent the past decade-plus taking advantage of rock-bottom interest rates to binge on debt. Chelsey Dulaney, WSJ, 15 Nov. 2023 For the gal with a sweet tooth Few things bring more joy than indulging in truly tasty ice cream while bingeing your favorite streamer. Grace Smith, wsj.com, 8 Nov. 2023 Obviously, bingeing by itself is no guarantee of quality. Peter Biskind, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Nov. 2023 On top of sweet treats being passed around to mark big occasions among colleagues, employees are also more likely to binge when they’re stressed at work. Eleanor Pringle, Fortune Well, 26 Oct. 2023 Wait until the whole series has been released, and then sign up for the 30-day free trial to binge the whole show. Oscar Hartzog, Rolling Stone, 29 Sep. 2023 Americans’ appetite for travel is in question after nearly two years of bingeing on flights. Alison Sider, WSJ, 11 Oct. 2023 Sobriety and mental health go hand-in-hand as new data from JAMA’s Substance Use and Addiction study reveals that stress drives women to binge drink more than men to self-medicate. Dominique Fluker, Essence, 11 Oct. 2023 The university is investigating allegations that freshmen members of their teams were forced to binge drink and consume their own vomit, per Boston College's school newspaper The Heights. Chris Barilla, Peoplemag, 22 Sep. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'binge.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

English dialect binge (to drink heavily)

First Known Use

Noun

1854, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1881, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of binge was in 1854

Dictionary Entries Near binge

Cite this Entry

“Binge.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/binge. Accessed 3 Dec. 2023.

Kids Definition

binge

noun
ˈbinj
1
: spree
2
: an act of consuming something (as food) to excess
binge verb
bingeable
ˈbin-jə-bəl
adjective

Medical Definition

binge

1 of 2 noun
: an act of excessive or compulsive consumption especially of food or alcoholic beverages see also binge drinking, binge eating

binge

2 of 2 intransitive verb
binged; bingeing or binging
: to go on a binge
… as compared to males, females were more likely to have used alcohol in the past 30 days, but less likely to have bingedKathleen Ragsdale et al., Journal of Substance Use
The bulimic patient prefers to be alone when she binges, and she binges usually for between 15 minutes and a few hours.L. K. George Hsu, Behavior Modification
binger noun

More from Merriam-Webster on binge

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