splurge
Americanverb (used without object)
-
splurges,
present (3rd person singular)
-
splurged,
past participle, past
-
splurging
present participle
-
to indulge oneself in some luxury or pleasure, especially a costly one.
They splurged on a trip to Europe.
-
to show off.
verb (used with object)
-
splurges,
present (3rd person singular)
-
splurged,
past participle, past
-
splurging
present participle
noun
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splurges
plural
noun
-
an ostentatious display, esp of wealth
-
a bout of unrestrained extravagance
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
splurgesimple
-
splurgessimple
-
have splurgedperfect
-
has splurgedperfect
-
am splurgingprogressive
-
are splurgingprogressive
-
is splurgingprogressive
-
have been splurgingperfect progressive
-
has been splurgingperfect progressive
Past
-
splurgedsimple
-
had splurgedperfect
-
was splurgingprogressive
-
were splurgingprogressive
-
had been splurgingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of splurge
Explanation
To splurge is to indulge yourself. You can also go on a splurge if you spend a lot or act extravagantly in another way. Anyone might have a cupcake. If you have 10 cupcakes, that's a splurge. When you go on a splurge or are splurging, it usually applies to money. Splurging happens when you see a lot of things you want — or even one very expensive thing — and buy it, even though you might not be able to afford it. When you splurge, you're going wild in some way. A splurge is sometimes called a binge.
Vocabulary lists containing splurge
With the Fire on High
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Some Places More Than Others
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The List of Things That Will Not Change
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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:
Amid a multi-million pound summer splurge, Spurs allowed Lankshear to leave for an initial fee worth about £10m, with an additional £10m due in add-ons based on various clauses.
From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026
My monthly expenses are roughly $3,900, so I have some room for travel, home repairs and the occasional splurge.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026
The splurge in venture capital spending has been driven by the artificial intelligence boom, highlighted by OpenAI closing a record-breaking $122-billion funding round on March 31 at an $852-billion valuation.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026
But lately the comparison I make in my head is less often fancy sauce versus Ragu than grocery-store splurge versus going out.
From Salon ● Sep. 20, 2026
“We shouldn’t be bleaching any more palm oil. We should splurge on vegetable oil for these last few weeks,” Obiora said, still swatting at the flies.
From "Purple Hibiscus" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
The steady gains in his portfolio have allowed for some splurges, like the nine-day Caribbean cruise he booked for him and his mother, Kitty Zakrzewski, once Hood Summit wrapped.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026
A lack of updating, rising mall rents and splurges on new businesses weakened its business until it declared bankruptcy in 2014.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
Despite the sticker shock, therapists and financial experts say such splurges could be worth it, as long as it’s something you can afford and it holds significant value for you.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 12, 2026
Marcel Thieliant at Capital Economics added that he did not expect Takaichi to embark on any new major spending splurges or tax cuts.
From Barron's ● Feb. 9, 2026
They knew about a couple of her matrimonial splurges.
From The House of Torchy by Arthur William Brown
Then, in 2017, the pop star splurged on an adjacent townhouse, paying $18 million for the three-story mansion measuring 5,000 square feet.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 7, 2026
The giant wad of cash splurged on all this would choke an elephant.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
Taking advantage of the strong dollar, they’ve splurged at high-end shops.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
He had splurged and gotten his nails done, and they looked fantastic, which I was sure to compliment him on.
From Salon ● Apr. 19, 2026
My grandfather, not knowing he was soon to be fired, had splurged on four tickets to The Minotaur, playing at the Family.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
While PS users’ final destinations are commercial flights, the company is banking on travelers splurging for a few hours away from the masses.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
Clearly, many moviegoers seem to think “Spider-Man” and “The Odyssey” are worth splurging on an Imax ticket.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 3, 2026
In Scottish terms, Rangers' American owners have spent colossal money, splurging tens of millions on the creation of a team, and an environment, that can win a league and do something in Europe.
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026
It’s also unclear why she chose a five-star resort for the splurging, given her discomfort with everything from the menu on down.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
She did not want to be the only one splurging.
From "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez
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.
