indulge

verb

in·​dulge in-ˈdəlj 

indulged; indulging

transitive verb

1

a

: to yield to the desire of : humor

please indulge me for a moment

b

: to treat with excessive leniency, generosity, or consideration

indulging the grandchildren

2

a

: to give free rein to

b

: to take unrestrained pleasure in : gratify

indulged in an expensive dinner

intransitive verb

: to indulge oneself

indulger noun

Synonyms of indulge

• gratify
• please
• humor
• cater (to)
• spoil
• satisfy
• revel
• delight
• bask

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

Ollinger was known to indulge fans with tales of unusual encounters with possible paranormal connection. —Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 3 June 2026

The sun’s ingress into Cancer later this month, for instance, brings focus to themes of travel, education and long-term visions, making this a pivotal month to explore (and indulge) what gives your life purpose and meaning. —Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 1 June 2026

Simmons was intrigued enough to indulge the possibility. —Sam Blum, New York Times, 1 June 2026

But Giant refuses to indulge this soothing fiction about human nature. —Yair Rosenberg, The Atlantic, 31 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

Latin indulgēre to be complaisant

First Known Use

circa 1623, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 2a

Phrases Containing indulge

• indulge in

Rhymes for indulge

• divulge
• bulge

Kids Definition

indulge

verb

in·​dulge in-ˈdəlj 

indulged; indulging

1

: to give in to one's own or another's desires : humor

indulged their grandchildren's whims

2

: to allow oneself the pleasure of having or doing something

decided to indulge in ice cream

indulger noun