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• spree
  spree

  noun

  a lively frolic or outing.
• Spree
  Spree

  noun

  a river in E Germany, flowing N through Berlin to the Havel River. 220 miles (354 km) long.

spree

¹ American  

[spree] / spri /

noun

• sprees
  plural

1. a lively frolic or outing.

2. a bout or spell of drinking to intoxication; binge; carousal.

3. a period, spell, or bout of indulgence, as of a particular wish, craving, or whim.

   an eating spree; a spending spree.

4. a period or outburst of extreme activity.

   the team’s scoring spree;

   no motive for his killing spree.

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Spree ² American  

[shpray] / ʃpreɪ /

noun

1. a river in E Germany, flowing N through Berlin to the Havel River. 220 miles (354 km) long.

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spree British  

/ spriː /

noun

1. a session of considerable overindulgence, esp in drinking, squandering money, etc

2. a romp

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• sprees
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of spree

First recorded in 1795–1805; origin uncertain

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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."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

spree Spree sprees

Following a massive borrowing spree by hyperscalers to build out AI infrastructure, market participants have taken out more protection on their trades against borrower default.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 10, 2026

The carnage was worse in chip stocks and other beneficiaries of the AI spending spree, which already has been estimated at about $1 trillion a year.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 5, 2026

There will be no redundancies elsewehere in the civil service as a result of the hiring spree, the BBC has been told, with some jobs expected to be relocated and other vacant roles closed.

From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026

Andy Burnham's Number 10 North has gone on a multi-million pound hiring spree with dozens of new jobs being advertised.

From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026

If anything, Noah should have talked to her before he decided to go on a psycho GIF-creating spree.

From "Here to Stay" by Sara Farizan

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

Two witnesses spotted Krasikov changing clothes in bushes and throwing his bicycle in the Spree river, and they called the police.

From Washington Post ● Aug. 5, 2022

The first to be killed by police was a twenty-four-year-old tailor named Günter Litfin, who jumped fully clothed into Berlin’s Spree River and tried to swim across the water separating East and West.

From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin

Fake shopping sprees and ‘happiness insurance’: The latest fintech apps reveal our financial anxieties.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026

I see fewer ads so am less pulled into buying sprees.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 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

Before Aileen started going along with Kaira’s mother on her shopping sprees, Kaira’s mother usually came home looking all gaudy and ridiculous.

From "Small Steps" by Louis Sachar

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Related Words

• binge
• celebration
• orgy
• rampage

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