indulge

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verb in·dulge \ in-ˈdəlj \

Definition of indulge

indulged; indulging

transitive verb

1 a :to give free rein to

b :to take unrestrained pleasure in :gratify

2 a :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

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indulger

noun

See indulge defined for English-language learners

See indulge defined for kids

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 of indulge from the Web

Like a lot of teens, Ian and Mason spent their free time playing video games, goofing around and indulging in copious amounts of Taco Bell and Wendy's fare.

— donna vickroy, Daily Southtown, "When autism, diabetes make a friendship stronger," 25 Aug. 2017
Details: usnwc.org Wing Haven Gardens & Bird Sanctuary: This gorgeous stretch of gardens tucked inside Myers Park is the perfect place to relax on a blanket with a book, indulge in a picnic, walk around and explore.

— jody mace, charlotteobserver, "10 activities in CLT that cost $10 or less," 11 Aug. 2017
Like every other human with taste buds and an appetite, the people admired for being healthy often choose to indulge.

— sarah rense, Esquire, "How to Enjoy Dessert Like a Fitness Expert," 8 Aug. 2017
In April 1873, after becoming one of the city’s wealthiest men, Lemp indulged himself with a three-month trip to Europe, especially to visit the international exposition in Vienna.

— arthur hart, idahostatesman, "Like a loaf with your lager? In early Idaho, brewery bakeries were the thing.," 22 July 2017
Grab a table beneath the Sputnik chandeliers to indulge in pork loin milanese.

— garrett snyder, Los Angeles Magazine, "The Los Angeles Magazine Hot Restaurant List for July 2017," 18 July 2017
Duffy is indulging in a congressional tradition of inter-cameral hostility and finger-pointing that is older than the two-party system.

— ed kilgore, Daily Intelligencer, "No, the Filibuster Isn’t Keeping 50 Republican Senators From Reaching Agreement," 17 July 2017
Franklin Roosevelt seems to have indulged British spying and fake news in order to gain support for intervention in Europe.

— vanityfair.com, "Donnygate, a Russian Pop Star, and the End of the Republic," 11 July 2017
On Monday, Harris indulged in some thinly veiled criticism of Trump at a naturalization ceremony at the Port of Los Angeles, then went after the GOP healthcare plan at a pro-Obamacare rally at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in Torrance.

— christina bellantoni, latimes.com, "Essential Politics: A deadline comes — and goes — for California's landmark climate change law," 10 July 2017

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.

Origin and Etymology of indulge

Latin indulgēre to be complaisant

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1623

See Words from the same year

indulge Synonyms

Synonyms

cater (to), gratify, humor

Antonyms

deny

Related Words

bask, luxuriate, revel, wallow; coddle, mollycoddle, pamper, spoil; delight, please, pleasure; sate, satiate, satisfy

Near Antonyms

bridle, check, constrain, curb, inhibit, restrain, stifle

Synonym Discussion of 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

INDULGE Defined for English Language Learners

indulge

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verb

Definition of indulge for English Language Learners

: to allow (yourself) to have or do something as a special pleasure
: to allow (someone) to have or do something even though it may not be proper, healthy, appropriate, etc.
: to patiently allow (someone) to do or say something