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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

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  

[shprey] / 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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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."

Example Sentences

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

So the volunteers bring them to a big white tent outside the back entrance of the station, next to the Spree River and within sight of the Chancellery.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 16, 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

Related Words

• binge
• celebration
• orgy
• rampage