spree
noun
a lively frolic or outing.
spree
1 American
[spree]
/ spri /
noun
-
sprees
plural
-
a lively frolic or outing.
-
a bout or spell of drinking to intoxication; binge; carousal.
-
a period, spell, or bout of indulgence, as of a particular wish, craving, or whim.
an eating spree; a spending spree.
-
a period or outburst of extreme activity.
the team’s scoring spree;
no motive for his killing spree.
Spree
2
American
[shpr ay]
/ ʃpreɪ /
noun
spree
British
/ spriː /
noun
-
a session of considerable overindulgence, esp in drinking, squandering money, etc
-
a romp
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of spree
First recorded in 1795–1805; origin uncertain
Explanation
If you go on a spree, you go a little wild, indulging in some activity in an unrestrained way. You might go on a cupcake spree every year on your birthday, eating as many cupcakes as you can. Following your impulses and giving in to them — rather than resisting or limiting them — is one way to go on a spree. It can be a dancing spree, in which you dance all night long, or a shopping spree, in which you max out your credit card at the mall. The original slang meaning, and one that's still used today, is "a drinking bout," and it may be rooted in the French word esprit, "lively wit."
Vocabulary lists containing spree
St. Patrick's Day Vocabulary: Words With Irish and Gaelic Roots
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English Words Derived from Gaelic
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Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
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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:
The amiable campaigners AFP accompanied on a recent sign-posting spree on Washington's uptown Georgia Avenue, did not match the profile of angry activists.
From Barron's ● Sep. 28, 2026
Two months ago, an AI swarm broke out of a lab and went on a hacking spree.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
The researcher points out a recent report from OpenAI, which detailed how its own technology went on a hacking spree against an online platform called Hugging Face.
From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026
He had a .948 on-base-plus-slugging percentage in double-A and went on a power spree starting at the end of July, hitting 11 of his 27 home runs before his promotion.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 12, 2026
The boys rushed to the back of the store, where Petey had been during their earlier shopping spree.
From "The Last Last-Day-of-Summer" by Lamar Giles
Spending Spree: Wall Street’s tolerance for AI investment might seem to have no limits, but Google parent Alphabet found one Wednesday: $200 billion.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
For now, the mood is exuberant at Renate, a labyrinthine club with multiple DJs housed in a dimly-lit complex near the Spree river, a Berlin institution which recently celebrated its 18th birthday.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2025
The aquarium, located just across the Spree River from the Berlin Cathedral in the heart of the city, was a genuine attraction for the German capital.
From Slate ● Dec. 19, 2022
The path twists and turns, eventually heading across the Spree River and past the German parliament and the Brandenburg Gate, the backdrop for President Ronald Reagan’s famous 1987 “tear down this wall” speech.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 2, 2021
A few nights after the wall went up, Seidel found an unlit spot along the banks of the Spree.
From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin
A former Nigerian oil minister has been cleared of taking bribes from wealthy oil executives in the form of luxury home stays and lavish spending sprees in the UK.
From BBC ● Jun. 17, 2026
Deutsche Bank has studied the matter and found that returns averaged 8% in the first three months of IPO sprees, and 20% in the first 12 months.
From Barron's ● Jun. 12, 2026
Buying sprees of outlets led to owners who became highly leveraged and less able to invest in programming, which put the squeeze on suppliers such as CBS News Radio.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 22, 2026
A handful of AI giants are changing America from the top down, with spending sprees setting off a construction boom and eye-popping valuations lifting financial markets.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 5, 2026
When the military tribunal began on July 8, 1942, the prisoners changed into the new clothes that they purchased on their shopping sprees.
From Nazi Saboteurs by Samantha Seiple
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.
