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
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.
That renewed confidence will now be tested by collectors’ willingness to splurge on trophy art.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 2026
And yes, sometimes that means recommending specialty ingredients genuinely worthy of a relative splurge: the good vanilla, candied citrus, Kewpie over the bottom-shelf mayonnaise.
From Salon • May 12, 2026
Unfortunately, their neighbors did not take the advice of the aforementioned adviser and continued to splurge on extravagant vacations and drive around in the latest-model car.
From MarketWatch • May 11, 2026
He still thinks that baby boomers, who are doing much better than other generations financially and aren’t willing to wait to splurge on fun, regardless of the macroeconomic backdrop, will put a floor under spending.
From Barron's • May 4, 2026
I was neither, but under the circumstances, I was willing to splurge a little.
From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline
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.
