spree

noun \ ˈsprē \

Updated on: 20 Apr 2018

: an unrestrained indulgence in or outburst of an activity

a buying spree

; also : a drunken revel : binge

See spree defined for English-language learners

See spree defined for kids

Examples of spree in a Sentence

They went on a killing spree.
went on a spending spree

Recent Examples of spree from the Web

Kanye West returned to Twitter this weekend after a long social media hiatus and his deluge of tweets did not disappoint longtime fans of his notorious Twitter sprees.

— cady lang, Time, "Kanye West Returns to Twitter in True Kanye Style," 16 Apr. 2018
Since then, several concerns have surfaced regarding the stability of the ownership at Rossoneri, with claims of bankruptcy and an investigation into his purchasing of the club following his €200m spending spree.

— SI.com, "Controversial AC Milan President Li Yonghong Commits to Long-Term 'Project' in Open Letter to Fans," 13 Apr. 2018
For now, that’s the most likely explanation for her shooting spree at YouTube headquarters Tuesday.

— hiawatha bray, BostonGlobe.com, "YouTubers angry with ad restrictions shouldn’t be able to dictate company policy," 4 Apr. 2018
Goleta postal facility, 2006 Jennifer San Marco began her killing spree by fatally shooting her neighbor in January 2006, according to the Santa Barbara Independent.

— kaitlyn schallhorn, Fox News, "Female active shooters are rare, FBI data shows: A look back at some notable cases," 4 Apr. 2018
Despite repeatedly declaring his innocence, Em is finally caught as a detective enters his home to talk to him about his recent killing sprees.

— nerisha penrose, Billboard, "Eminem Escapes From an Asylum in Twisted Visual for 'Framed': Watch," 3 Apr. 2018
Prosecutors said Salman aided Mateen ahead of his killing spree, then lied to the FBI in an attempt to thwart the investigation.

— eric levenson, CNN, "Jurors reach verdict in trial of Pulse gunman's widow," 30 Mar. 2018
The rapes are not a part of the Turner legend, but within a two-hour running time, that kind of gendered violence creates a narrative shortcut to justify his killing spree, shocking and horrifying the audience to get them on Turner's side. .

— katie walsh, latimes.com, "Commentary: Some stereotyped women's film roles we'd like to do away with," 16 Mar. 2018
Its killing sprees cured the grieving widowed husband played by Charles Bronson and led to several sequels.

— michael phillips, chicagotribune.com, "'Death Wish': Bruce Willis makes Chicago bleed all over the place," 1 Mar. 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of spree

origin unknown

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1804

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

spree Synonyms

Synonyms

binge, fling, frolic, gambol, idyll (also idyl), lark, revel, rollick, romp;

Related Words

caper, escapade, prank;

bender, bust, carouse, souse, toot;

antic, monkeyshine(s), shenanigan(s);

field day;

festivity, merriment, merrymaking;

Spree

geographical name \ ˈshprā , ˈsprā \

river 247 miles (397 kilometers) long in eastern Germany flowing north into the Havel River

SPREE Defined for English Language Learners

spree

noun

: a short period of time when you do a lot of something

SPREE Defined for Kids

spree

noun \ ˈsprē \

: an outburst of an activity

They went on a buying spree.

Learn More about spree

See words that rhyme with spree Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for spree Spanish Central: Translation of spree Nglish: Translation of spree for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of spree for Arabic speakers

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