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debauch

[ dih-bawch ]
/ dɪˈbɔtʃ /
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See synonyms for: debauch / debauched on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with object)
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.
verb (used without object)
to indulge in debauchery.
noun
a period of wanton or sensual self-indulgence.
an uninhibited spree or party; orgy: a wild debauch.
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Origin of debauch

First recorded in 1585–95; from French débaucher “to entice away from duty, debauch,” Old French desbauchier “to disperse, scatter,” equivalent to des-dis-1 + -bauchier, derivative of bauc, bauch beam (from Germanic; see balcony, balk; compare French ébaucher “to rough-hew”); hence, presumably, “to hew (beams),” becoming “to split, separate,” becoming “to separate from work or duty”

OTHER WORDS FROM debauch

de·bauch·er, nounde·bauch·ment, noun

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH debauch

debauch , debouch

Words nearby debauch

debased, debasement, debaser, debatable, debate, debauch, debauched, debauchee, debaucherous, debauchery, Debbie
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to debauch

abuse, bastardize, bestialize, betray, brutalize, debase, defile, deflower, demoralize, fornicate, fraternize, intrigue, inveigle, lure, pervert, pollute, ravish, ruin, seduce, subvert

How to use debauch in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for debauch

debauch
/ (dɪˈbɔːtʃ) /
verb
(when tr, usually passive) to lead into a life of depraved self-indulgence
(tr) to seduce (a woman)
noun
an instance or period of extreme dissipation

Derived forms of debauch

debauchedly (dɪˈbɔːtʃɪdlɪ), adverbdebauchedness, noundebaucher, noundebauchery or debauchment, noun

Word Origin for debauch

C16: from Old French desbaucher to corrupt, literally: to shape (timber) roughly, from bauch beam, of Germanic origin
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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