Dictionary.com

debauch

[ dih-bawch ]
/ dɪˈbɔtʃ /
Save This Word!
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.
QUIZ
SPRINT TO THE FINISH WITH THIS OLYMPICS QUIZ!
Compete in our Olympics quiz to see if you can take home the gold medal in Olympics knowledge.
Question 1 of 10
Where was the Olympics first held?
ancient Rome
ancient Greece
ancient Persia
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT
Meet Grammar CoachWrite or paste your essay, email, or story into Grammar Coach and get grammar helpImprove Your Writing
Meet Grammar CoachImprove Your Writing
Write or paste your essay, email, or story into Grammar Coach and get grammar help

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
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Words related to debauch

defile, pervert, pollute, inveigle, bastardize, debase, violate, seduce, subvert, ruin, vitiate, deflower, demoralize, betray, lure, warp, abuse, tempt, fraternize, ravish

How to use debauch in a sentence

  • What surprises me yet more is, that some would believe that Socrates was a debaucher of young men!

    The Memorable Thoughts of Socrates|Xenophon

  • Happily they found not that pernicious bane which is alike the corrupter of private morals and the debaucher of nations.

    The Knight of the Golden Melice|John Turvill Adams

  • The desires of a drunkard, a debaucher, are as strong after death as before.

    Ghosts I Have Seen|Violet Tweedale

  • For he is said to be the debaucher of the wives of others; he is the shameless lover and ravisher of a beautiful boy.

    The City of God, Volume I|Aurelius Augustine

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
FEEDBACK