binge

1 of 2

noun

ˈbinj 

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

ˈbin-jər 

noun

Synonyms

Noun

• bender
• bust
• carousal
• carouse
• drunk
• jamboree
• spree
• toot
• wassail

Verb

• birl [chiefly Scottish]
• carouse
• revel
• roister
• wassail

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

If the summer heat is too hot to handle, there’s always the option of an indoor binge. —Shania Russell, EW.com, 1 July 2024

The streamer is staying with the binge release pattern of the first two seasons. —Rick Porter, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 June 2024

Verb

Viewers who have already binged all ten episodes of The Bear’s third season on Hulu were pleasantly surprised to see Josh Hartnett appear as a guest star. —Krystie Lee Yandoli, Rolling Stone, 4 July 2024

How gut bacteria may trigger binge eating or weight gain Certain gut bacteria may increase the risk that a person will binge eat and become obese, a new study suggests. —Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 28 June 2024

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

Phrases Containing binge

• binge and purge
• binge eating disorder
• binge-watch

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

ˈbinj 

: 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 binged …

—Kathleen 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

-ər 

noun