binge

American  

[binj] / bɪndʒ /

noun

1. a period or bout, usually brief, of excessive indulgence, as in eating, drinking alcoholic beverages, etc.; spree.

   Synonyms:

   orgy, toot, bust, tear, jag, blast, bender

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verb (used without object)

binged, bingeing, binging

1. to have a binge.

   to binge on junk food.

binge British  

/ bɪndʒ /

noun

1. a bout of excessive eating or drinking

2. excessive indulgence in anything

   a shopping binge

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verb

1. to indulge in a binge (esp of eating or drinking)

binge Idioms  

1. see go on, def. 9.

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Other Word Forms

• binger noun

Etymology

Origin of binge

First recorded in 1850–55; dialectal (Lincolnshire) binge “to soak”; further origin unknown

Explanation

A binge is a brief period of doing something excessively. You might celebrate your birthday by indulging in a banana cream pie binge if that's your very favorite dessert. Binge rhymes with fringe. If you give in to your urges and really indulge yourself, you binge on something, whether it's candy, video games, or shopping. There's an implied sense in the word binge that you're doing too much of something that isn't very good for you in the first place. Binge is also a verb, as in people who binge on television, watching show after show.

Example Sentences

Increasing costs for retirement benefits, a post-pandemic hiring binge and declining student enrollment are squeezing the district’s finances.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 13, 2026

Meta has also been on a hiring-and-firing binge, bringing in expensive new AI researchers and executives, while reorganizing other units and laying off existing staff.

From Barron's • Mar. 27, 2026

Part Jason Bourne, part “Scenes From a Marriage,” it’s a quick and intense binge.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 27, 2026

We have also heard of patients binge eating, cross-dressing and recklessly investing - and others who pursued homosexual relationships for the first time.

From BBC • Feb. 21, 2026

The meat provided by male hunters is a kind of luxury, a special treat for a binge and celebration, the Pleistocene equivalent of a giant box of Toblerone.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

Related Words

• orgy