indulge

verb

in·dulge | \ in-ˈdəlj

indulged; indulging

Definition of indulge

transitive verb

1a : to give free rein to

b : to take unrestrained pleasure in : gratify

2a : to yield to the desire of : humor please indulge me for a moment

b : to treat with excessive leniency, generosity, or consideration

intransitive verb

: to indulge oneself

Other Words from indulge Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about indulge

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Choose the Right Synonym for indulge

indulge, pamper, humor, spoil, baby, mollycoddle mean to show undue favor to a person's desires and feelings. indulge implies excessive compliance and weakness in gratifying another's or one's own desires. indulged myself with food at the slightest excuse pamper implies inordinate gratification of desire for luxury and comfort with consequent enervating effect. pampered by the amenities of modern living humor stresses a yielding to a person's moods or whims. humored him by letting him tell the story spoil stresses the injurious effects on character by indulging or pampering. foolish parents spoil their children baby suggests excessive care, attention, or solicitude. babying students by grading too easily mollycoddle suggests an excessive degree of care and attention to another's health or welfare. refused to mollycoddle her malingering son

Examples of indulge in a Sentence

It's my birthday. I'm going to indulge myself and eat whatever I want to eat. It's my birthday. I'm going to indulge. Please indulge me while I review the topics we covered yesterday. The museum is an excellent place to let children indulge their curiosity about dinosaurs. She bought a house with a big yard so that she could indulge her passion for gardening.

Recent Examples on the Web

In reality, having a healthy relationship with food involves indulging along with being flexible and kind to yourself. — Kimberly Truong, SELF, "8 Signs It’s Time to See a Therapist About Your Relationship With Food," 29 Jan. 2019 Wedding planning can take a lot out of even the most organized bride, and if one element of the process can be made more seamless, why not indulge? — Brooke Bobb, Vogue, "Venamour Launches Online Wedding Invites—Plus 10 Other Chic Options That Make the Case for Going Paperless," 15 Jan. 2019 Essential oils have been a huge trend this year, both as a way to naturally make your house smell better and as a way to help people indulge in a little self-care. — Taylor Mead, House Beautiful, "These Essential Oil Combos Will Make Your Home Smell Like Fall," 28 Aug. 2018 Red, White, and Blue Happy Hours: Not totally free (but then again, what is), these Independence Day dedicated happy hours cut down on the price — and the guilt — of indulging in your 5 p.m. cocktail. — Claire Wolters, Philly.com, "Where to find free food in Philly for July Fourth," 27 June 2018 The Oath actor showered his wife with affection during her pregnancy by spoiling her with foot massages, indulging in her every craving, and loving on her growing baby bump. — Lauren Porter, Essence.com, "Tia Mowry-Hardrict's Baby Girl Is Here! Actress Welcomes Second Child With Husband Cory Hardrict," 5 May 2018 The hygge way of eating is all about indulging mindfully. — Anne Roderique-jones, SELF, "I Practiced Hygge and It's Kind of the Best Thing Ever," 25 Dec. 2018 But congressional Republicans are choosing, once again, to indulge Trump rather than serve the country. — Ezra Klein, Vox, "Trump endangers America because congressional Republicans let him," 21 Dec. 2018 On more than one occasion, Gus has hidden beneath a blanket, secretly indulging in Minecraft. — Steve Brykman, Ars Technica, "Forget Fortnite—my son is still obsessed with Minecraft," 16 Dec. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'indulge.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.