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
-
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:
Tesla’s AI splurge triggers profit squeeze and rare cash burn.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026
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
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
When Southside had a payday for his carpentry work, he’d sometimes splurge and buy himself a new album.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
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
It was these surprises—and the splurges I couldn’t afford while living there—that offered some of the trip’s best experiences.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 28, 2026
No, it wa’n’t either of them festive splurges she had in mind.
From Odd Numbers Being Further Chronicles of Shorty McCabe by Sewell Ford
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
Shares in chip makers soared during the Covid-19 pandemic when consumers splurged on laptops, smartphones and other devices laden with silicon.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 14, 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
Andre and Camille are carrying box after box up two flights of stairs to our unit—there is an elevator, but it’s broken—while Dad and Lisa-Marie Anne struggle to assemble the kitchen table we splurged on.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
Soon, he was splurging on a chai two to four times a week.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
Americans spent less on goods for the second month in a row after splurging in the spring.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 26, 2026
Baby boomers are splurging on travel with a vengeance, looking to see as much of the world as they can.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 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
The difference is that one will be splurging and then play on a public course while the other will not blink at the price and tee off at a private country club.
From "Class Matters" by The New York Times
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
