indulge
Americanverb (used without object)
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indulges,
present (3rd person singular)
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indulged,
past participle, past
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indulging
present participle
verb (used with object)
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indulges,
present (3rd person singular)
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indulged,
past participle, past
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indulging
present participle
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to yield to, satisfy, or gratify (desires, feelings, etc.).
to indulge one's appetite for sweets.
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to yield to the wishes or whims of; be lenient or permissive with.
to indulge a child.
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to allow (oneself ) to follow one's will (usually followed byin ).
to indulge oneself in reckless spending.
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Commerce. to grant an extension of time, for payment or performance, to (a person, company, etc.) or on (a bill, note, etc.).
verb
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to yield to or gratify (a whim or desire for)
to indulge a desire for new clothes
to indulge in new clothes
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(tr) to yield to the wishes of; pamper
to indulge a child
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(tr) to allow oneself the pleasure of something
at Christmas he liked to indulge himself
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(tr) commerce to allow (a debtor) an extension of time for payment of (a bill, etc)
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informal (intr) to take alcoholic drink, esp to excess
Synonym Usage
See humor.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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indulgernoun
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reindulgeverb
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preindulgeverb (used with object)
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quasi-indulgedadjective
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unindulgedadjective
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indulginglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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indulgesimple
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indulgessimple
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have indulgedperfect
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has indulgedperfect
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am indulgingprogressive
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are indulgingprogressive
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is indulgingprogressive
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have been indulgingperfect progressive
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has been indulgingperfect progressive
Past
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indulgedsimple
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had indulgedperfect
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was indulgingprogressive
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were indulgingprogressive
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had been indulgingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of indulge
First recorded in 1630–40; from Latin indulgēre “to be lenient toward, to accede, to take pleasure in”
Explanation
Indulge is a verb that means "to give in to something," like when you indulge your craving for chocolate by eating a big piece of it. The original meaning of indulge is "to treat with unearned favor." That's why it doesn't mean the same as reward. Instead, when you indulge, you enjoy or take part in something just because you want to — like indulging in a celebrity gossip magazine: you know you should be doing something more constructive, but you don't care. When you indulge someone else, you go along with whatever they want to do.
Vocabulary lists containing indulge
"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, Chapters 12–15
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Starting Your New Life: Inspiring Words from Commencement Speeches
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The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The website became known as a pop culture hub, where readers could indulge in the latest celebrity gossip or discover a unique cooking recipe.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
"It's pathetic, and the Labour Party is not going to indulge it," a spokesperson said.
From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026
Only when it comes to soccer, it’s typically more difficult to indulge during the action.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 24, 2026
Typically, I’ll pop open two cans, pour the contents into my designated soup bowl, heat it in the microwave and indulge.
From Salon ● Jun. 13, 2026
They indulge as well in reductio ad absurdum, the logical practice of taking any premise to an extreme, and in various sorts of combinatorial word play.
From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos
Ms. Day has the young writer’s weakness for showing off knowledge and she needlessly indulges in essay-like digressions on rhetorical terms and Latin etymologies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
Loyal, and not someone who briefs against colleagues to journalists or indulges in political games, he has been around the top of the Labour party for three decades.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
German director Ilker Catak's film "Yellow Letters", which is in official competition, also indulges in some location-switching, but for a slightly different reason.
From Barron's ● Feb. 15, 2026
Molina indulges in fantasies to stay sane, a dreamscape we experience as scenes from a 1940s classic Hollywood musical.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2025
Riot hops up onto the kitchen counter and Ellen indulges him with a solid behind-the-ear scratch.
From "Dumplin'" by Julie Murphy
We need to restore that belief, before the generation we indulged forgets it forever.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
The boards of Musk’s companies have generally indulged his desires.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2026
Yet Owens eagerly indulged his son’s tale because this kind of thinking is now the primary currency of outrage media.
From Salon ● May 23, 2026
A stable is secured, and the mare, who senses that something strange is going on, is indulged with apples and caresses.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 21, 2026
Georgiana, who had a spoiled temper, a very acrid spite, a captious and insolent carriage, was universally indulged.
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
You’re also indulging in way too much intrigue.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 31, 2026
Other senators were less interested in indulging me.
From Slate ● Jun. 5, 2026
PSG became the team with the fewest yellow cards in Europe's top leagues as players stopped arguing with referees, stopped indulging in theatrics and embraced a disciplined, unified approach.
From BBC ● May 29, 2026
Instead of indulging the itch to sell, you engage the inclination to buy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 7, 2026
I think I could get some of that, he said, as if indulging a child’s wish for bubble gum.
From "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
