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:
For the Amicus bonus episode, Dahlia and Mark reunite to indulge Amicus listeners’ biggest questions, like who really writes Supreme Court opinions?
From Slate ● Aug. 13, 2026
“Who knows? Maybe I’ll indulge in some hash browns.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
Simply put, this is the time to indulge in a summer cobbler, slurp on a delicious cooked sesame noodle salad, or whip up an easy garden-fresh pasta.
From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2026
This is not because I believe you should indulge in shame or blame.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 2026
During that time Jefferson was too busy to indulge in retrospective fretting over the loss of a friend.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
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
"If a party worker indulges in hate speech or a hate crime, the ruling party may not sanction prosecution. Under this law, the government cannot intervene," the official said.
From BBC ● Jan. 6, 2026
Mr. Guadagnino also indulges a couple of speeches about young people’s alleged hypersensitivity that veer into trite middle-aged lament and aren’t really relevant to the action.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2025
It indulges in gestures as grand and unlikely as creating snow for a guest, and as small as a sandwich being cut to make it a little more friendly, a little more fancy.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2025
Riot hops up onto the kitchen counter and Ellen indulges him with a solid behind-the-ear scratch.
From "Dumplin'" by Julie Murphy
In Salzburg, Dudamel indulged the Vienna Philharmonic’s incomparable lushness, those plush strings, glowing winds, golden brass, voluminous timpani.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 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
The next morning, I indulged in more conventional tourist pursuits, shopping in Seongsu and popping into an art exhibit at the Dongdaemun Design Plaza.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 14, 2025
But the true measure of upper class today is in the personal services indulged in.
From "Class Matters" by The New York Times
You’re also indulging in way too much intrigue.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 31, 2026
Outside of trucking, construction and other safety-sensitive industries, more employers say they have come to view marijuana as akin to alcohol: not a red flag, as long as workers aren’t indulging on the clock.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
A lot of athletes dream of rolling back the years but discover the reality of proving they can still compete - and not simply indulging in a nostalgia trip - is a different matter.
From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026
So naturally, I’m indulging in all my favorite recipes — and finding new ways to incorporate the small yet mighty superfood into my everyday meals.
From Salon ● May 1, 2026
That they wanted to eliminate him for indulging in “Lawful Union Activities.”
From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy
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.
