splurge
Americanverb (used without object)
-
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)
noun
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
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is splurgingprogressive
-
have been splurgingperfect progressive
-
has been splurgingperfect progressive
Past
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splurgedsimple
-
had splurgedperfect
-
was splurgingprogressive
-
were splurgingprogressive
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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:
Plus, Ford chases its biggest military contract since the Cold War, and boaters splurge to make fishing yachts run like supercars.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
She’s 25 and unemployed, and it’s unclear at first how she acquired the funds to splurge on an on-site cottage with a pool, 90-minute massages, and various forced-fun adventures.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
TOKYO—If New Yorker John Caramichael is going to splurge a little, he would rather do it in Japan.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026
A consumer who won’t splurge on a luxury bag may still pay for a weekend hike, a pet, a fitness class, a short domestic trip, or a companion to eat hot pot with.
From Barron's ● Jun. 19, 2026
Even with the cold, by January we were all so rank that Mom decided it was time to splurge: We would go to the Laundromat.
From "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls
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
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
To help narrow the field, we rounded up a handful of thoughtful splurges that earn their keep year-round.
From Salon ● Nov. 20, 2025
They knew about a couple of her matrimonial splurges.
From The House of Torchy by Brown, Arthur William
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
Knocking on for £40m - maybe more - has been splurged on transfer and loan fees.
From BBC ● Mar. 8, 2026
The Dodgers also splurged in December by signing former New York Mets pitcher Edwin Diaz to a $69 million three-year deal, making him the highest paid closer in baseball.
From Barron's ● Jan. 23, 2026
Once, in her early 20s when she had little money to her name, she splurged several thousands of dollars just to attend one of his events.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 15, 2026
She should have splurged on a bit of ribbon.
From "Lyddie" by Katherine Paterson
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
The cost burdens for consumers are causing some people to get choosier about how they spend their money, often splurging on a show or two rather than going to many events throughout the year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 27, 2026
Sure, some attendees may be splurging thousands on a single ticket, but others are getting nothing at all, even after traveling across international borders for games.
From Slate ● Jun. 24, 2026
If splurging on game tickets doesn’t make sense for you, there are still affordable ways to enjoy the event, Ramirez says.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 12, 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.
