binge eating

noun

variants or less commonly binge-eating

ˈbinj-ˌē-tiŋ 

: an act or pattern of excessive or compulsive consumption of food

… if you deny yourself grandma's homemade pumpkin pie with whipped cream, it could haunt your dreams like Scrooge's ghosts. Sometimes, that feeling of deprivation leads to binge eating.

—John Boyle

specifically : uncontrolled compulsive eating especially as a symptom of bulimia or binge eating disorder

Their binge eating is not what most people call binging, as when they occasionally start on a bag of chips or on a gallon of ice cream and just keep going. Instead, their condition is in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. It involves binging multiple times a week.

—Gina Kolata

binge eat intransitive + transitive verb

binge ate; binge eaten; binge eating; binge eats

If you realize that certain situations cause the urge to binge eat, create a plan in advance to avoid those scenarios or identify a trusted family member or friend who can help you, [Chelsea] Kronengold suggests.

—Vanessa Caceres and Anna Medaris Miller

But try not to binge eat junk food and choose instead to enjoy your favorite unhealthy foods in moderation.

—Laura Hotinger

binge eater noun

plural binge eaters

Many binge eaters eat alone because it is really a solitary event, not a social one.

—Bobbie Randall

Examples of binge eating in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

No, Vyvanse is a prescription drug for ADHD and binge eating that may be addictive or cause other neurological or cardiovascular side effects. —Sponsored Content, The Mercury News, 12 Apr. 2024

The Victoria’s Secret ambassador challenged the notion that binge eating is always a product of sadness. —Amy Rosner, Peoplemag, 15 Sep. 2023

The misuse of laxatives, however, has been associated with eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa—often as a compensatory behavior for binge eating. —Lori Youmshajekian, Scientific American, 1 Nov. 2023

In one study, participants reported more frequent binge eating and laxative use in 2022 than before the start of the COVID pandemic. —Lori Youmshajekian, Scientific American, 1 Nov. 2023

But while those conditions have started to ebb, clinicians say anorexia, bulimia and binge eating disorder are still at their high water mark, an observation bolstered by recent data from the CDC showing ER visits for eating disorders remained up by more than 50% from 2019. —Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 11 Aug. 2023

O’Kane then shares what drove him to make a committed change to stop binge eating. —Escher Walcott, Peoplemag, 24 Oct. 2023

Some evidence has suggested that shame leads to eating disorders like binge eating. —Virginia Sole-Smith, Health, 18 Oct. 2023

Rodents lacking these receptors in the brain are not only less likely to become addicted to cocaine or alcohol, the research showed, but also less prone to food addiction—a finding that may open new paths for treatment of binge eating. —Marta Zaraska, Scientific American, 11 Sep. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1959, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

binge eating

noun

variants also binge-eating

: uncontrolled compulsive eating especially as a symptom of bulimia or binge eating disorder

binge eat verb

binge eater noun