indulge
Americanverb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
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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:
“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
"This is a good step, but the main focus should be on the root cause. Those who indulge in leaking examination papers should be identified," one aspirant told news agency ANI.
From BBC ● Jun. 17, 2026
They do not indulge in abstraction or analysis.
From "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien
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
The musical indulges her not with a smirk but with a knowing smile.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 9, 2025
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
Riot hops up onto the kitchen counter and Ellen indulges him with a solid behind-the-ear scratch.
From "Dumplin'" by Julie Murphy
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
For carrion birds, war is a time of plenty, and Neriya senses that her adoption by the crows is a sort of refinement indulged in a thriving colony.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026
Their study suggests that the mouth-on-mouth kiss evolved more than 21 million years ago, and was something that the common ancestor of humans and other great apes probably indulged in.
From BBC ● Nov. 18, 2025
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
The house was fringed with palm trees, magnificent gardens, and concealed but nonetheless imposing outbuildings in which the family indulged its various hobbies.
From "Cheaper by the Dozen" by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey
Gustave Flaubert’s Madame Bovary embarks on a series of extramarital affairs after indulging in romantic fiction.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 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
But after indulging in a few spoonfuls, my palate begged to differ, craving more in between bites of curried rice and meat.
From Salon ● Mar. 28, 2026
Meanwhile, the vistas of Tau Ceti outside the window are intimidating and gorgeous, with cinematographer Greig Fraser indulging in showers of purple glitter.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 18, 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.
