spree
noun
a lively frolic or outing.
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spree
1 American
[spree]
/ spri /
noun
-
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 ey]
/ ʃpreɪ /
noun
spree
British
/ spriː /
noun
-
a session of considerable overindulgence, esp in drinking, squandering money, etc
-
a romp
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.
But some experts have suggested the technology is being used as a scapegoat for reducing headcount after a post-Covid hiring spree by many big corporates.
From BBC • May 14, 2026
The analysts added that they expect buyback growth to be subdued in 2027 — but said Big Tech’s spending spree could translate into buybacks elsewhere.
From MarketWatch • May 10, 2026
Elsewhere, SoundHound AI plummeted 10% after the maker of voice recognition technology posted a slightly wider-than-anticipated loss in its latest quarter following a massive acquisition spree.
From Barron's • May 8, 2026
The historic spending spree, economists hoped, could turbocharge productivity by upgrading the country’s railways, highways, communication networks, universities and a largely paper-based public administration—all in need of repair after decades of austerity.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 3, 2026
Moss locked his bike up in front of a baby-clothes boutique, one of those shops where an afternoon’s shopping spree might be worth more than his mom paid in rent for a month.
From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro
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.
