debauch
- to corrupt by sensuality, intemperance, etc.; seduce.
- to corrupt or pervert; sully: His honesty was debauched by the prospect of easy money.
- Archaic. to lead away, as from allegiance or duty.
- to indulge in debauchery.
- a period of wanton or sensual self-indulgence.
- an uninhibited spree or party; orgy: a wild debauch.
Origin of debauch
Synonyms for debauch
See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.comRelated Words for debauch
defile, pervert, pollute, inveigle, bastardize, debase, violate, seduce, subvert, ruin, vitiate, deflower, demoralize, betray, lure, warp, abuse, tempt, fraternize, ravishExamples from the Web for debauch
Historical Examples of debauch
In a moment the cobwebs of his debauch began to fall from him, and he became alert.
The Law-BreakersRidgwell Cullum
Of the younger men, many were sleeping off the debauch of the previous evening.
Roland CashelCharles James Lever
Is it no part of the price that you spend your days in pleasure and your nights in debauch?
Roland CashelCharles James Lever
Can I even trust him in hours of convivial abandonment and debauch?
Roland CashelCharles James Lever
The old chief seemed contrite after his debauch, but did not mention it.
Rodney, the RangerJohn V. Lane
debauch
- (when tr, usually passive) to lead into a life of depraved self-indulgence
- (tr) to seduce (a woman)
- an instance or period of extreme dissipation
Word Origin for debauch
Word Origin and History for debauch
1590s, from Middle French débaucher "entice from work or duty," from Old French desbaucher "to lead astray," supposedly literally "to trim (wood) to make a beam" (from bauch "beam," from Frankish balk or some other Germanic source akin to English balk). A sense of "shaving" something away, perhaps, but the root is also said to be a word meaning "workshop," which gets toward the notion of "to lure someone off the job;" either way the sense evolution is unclear.