Definition of orgy
orgies
1 : secret ceremonial rites held in honor of an ancient Greek or Roman deity and usually characterized by ecstatic singing and dancing Roman orgies in honor of Bacchus
2a : drunken revelryb : a sexual encounter involving many people; also : an excessive sexual indulgence (see indulgence 4a)
3 : excessive indulgence (see indulgence 4a) in something especially to satisfy an inordinate appetite or craving an orgy of destruction a national orgy of thrill seeking and risk taking — K. T. Greenfeld
Explore M-W
Recent Examples of orgy from the Web
-
The 2017 Goodwood Festival of Speed, an annual orgy of car nuttiness draped onto an earl’s estate outside London, has come to a close.
-
There are no exotic seasonings, because this orgy of bovine fat and meat requires none.
-
By syncing these orgies to particular phases of the moon—one of nature’s most prominent and reliable records of time—
-
For Ms. Sina, the task in that rehearsal was to amp up the frenzy in an unbridled scene of group ecstasy — not quite an orgy, but something like it, all in a swirl of long veils and floor-length skirts.
-
He was arrested in August after arranging an orgy with an undercover Fairfax County police officer in exchange for methamphetamine.
-
State political conventions are usually orgies of booze, food and good cheer, where steaks are eaten, scotch is sipped, backs are slapped, election outcomes are predetermined and very little actual work is done.
-
Director David Leitch's follow-up is a symphonic orgy of frenzied firearm warfare, with violence here depicted as a culinary art form performed by stylish Zen badasses with philosophical souls.
-
One episode features what may be HBO’s only non-gratuitous orgy, on a ferry of kinky cultists who worship a hyper-fertile lion named Frasier.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'orgy.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of orgy
Middle French orgie, from Latin orgia, plural, from Greek; akin to Greek ergon work — more at work
ORGY Defined for English Language Learners
orgy
playDefinition of orgy for English Language Learners
-
: a wild party and especially one in which many people have sex together
-
: something that is done too much and in a wild way
Learn More about orgy
-
Spanish Central: Translation of orgy Nglish: Translation of orgy for Spanish speakers
Seen and Heard
What made you want to look up orgy? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Writing? Check your grammar now!