Definition of indulge in English:
indulge
See synonyms for indulgeTranslate indulge into Spanish
intransitive verb
[no object]indulge in1Allow oneself to enjoy the pleasure of.
‘we indulged in some hot fudge sundaes’- ‘Their inability to retain possession allowed Rangers to indulge in the passing game they enjoy.’
- ‘I've been enjoying the competition, indulging in brief and largely meaningless intensities of feeling.’
- ‘I will be the only person to know that beneath my business attire, I am indulging in a secret pleasure.’
- ‘So, in effect, you are suggesting indulging in a guilty pleasure, but in a traditional, polite format.’
- ‘A weekend festival that allows an opportunity to indulge in all aspects of books and the arts is being held in Grasmere.’
- ‘More importantly, food photography allows Tony to indulge in his passion for art.’
- ‘Simply indulging in whatever pleasures are close at hand will ultimately bring one unhappiness.’
- ‘This was the first time he saw it outside of a magazine, and sitting on it was a simple pleasure he indulged in.’
- ‘I am sure you indulge in a little pleasure now and then yourself.’
- ‘Animals do not overeat, nor do they indulge in the pleasures of eating the way that humans do.’
- ‘He had indulged in day dreams and fixed the marriage of his two daughters.’
- ‘I cannot waste my time now with the dreams I indulged in as a child.’
- ‘I indulged in a bit of hot chocolate with whipped cream (very yummy indeed) and enjoyed a burger with my brother.’
- ‘Climb the wide ladders back aboard the Aggressor after your dive and indulge in a hot freshwater shower.’
- ‘This is a place to enjoy, watching the world go by or indulging in some quiet reflection, particularly on a warm summer's day.’
- ‘They allow us, for a while, to indulge in a fantasy of futurism.’
- ‘Another friend has always informed me that passion is good, indulge in it and get enjoyment and pleasure.’
- ‘The theory is that the rich have time and leisure to enjoy the sun at the beach and indulge in sports frequently.’
- ‘The money that consistently rolled past our noses saw us indulging in grand material excess - we were quite young, after all.’
- ‘Yet the universities are indulging in this marketing company-fuelled advertising arms race, year after year.’
wallow in, give oneself up to, give way to, yield to, abandon oneself to, give rein to, give free rein toView synonyms- 1.1Become involved in (an activity, typically one that is undesirable or disapproved of)‘I don't indulge in idle gossip’
- ‘The organisations indulging in this sinister activity have had a free play as never before in the history of free India.’
- ‘Firstly, we should not allow ourselves to indulge in hype about the consequences of the disease.’
- ‘By allowing yourself to indulge in these fears, he is already making your life hell.’
- ‘The BJP indulged in large-scale bogus voting in these elections and that is the only reason they won,’ she said.’
- ‘The resolution said the BJP did not have the national interest in mind and was indulging in cheap politics.’
- 1.2 informal Allow oneself to enjoy a particular pleasure, especially that of alcohol.
- ‘I only indulge on special occasions’
- ‘Louis didn't much care for alcohol and only usually indulged on special occasions.’
- ‘You may indulge and enjoy some forbidden pleasures but cannot deceive yourself for long.’
- ‘It's difficult to let go of those inhibitions because they feel guilty about indulging too heartily or allowing themselves too much pleasure.’
- ‘Do you stay away from alcohol or allow yourself to indulge once in a while?’
- ‘However this has generally not been a problem on the few occasions I have indulged.’
- ‘On this day, since I planned to not leave the house all day, I decided to indulge and drink two cups of coffee.’
treat oneself, give oneself a treat, luxuriate in something, give oneself up to pleasureView synonyms - 1.3with object Satisfy or yield freely to (a desire or interest)‘she was able to indulge a growing passion for literature’
- ‘Jean has been able to indulge her interest in art and nature, wellness, writing, reading, swimming, and walking.’
- ‘When I took the reins, I was able to indulge my own interest in history and start doing research.’
- ‘But for the most part, Mann is amazed that he is still able to indulge his interests for a living.’
- ‘You will be able to indulge your liking for cinema and music.’
- ‘However, the British, having adequate pasture for mature cattle, have generally been able to indulge their preference for beef.’
- ‘Ahmed spares no expense in indulging his family's interest.’
- ‘His luck in being an actor also gave him the chance to spend time indulging his interest in foreign policy and social activity.’
- ‘My husband indulges my new interest, glad I think for the new lease of life it has given me.’
- ‘More than anything else, I remember how simple that life was, how few demands there were on my time, how easy it was to indulge my scattergun interests.’
- ‘They can then indulge their particular interests, whenever they like, wherever they like, and as often as they like.’
- ‘This is because rich societies can afford to indulge their environmental interests and movements.’
- ‘The business community is funky and its members like to indulge their interests in the city.’
- ‘In discussing psychiatry and the arts, I cannot resist indulging my interest in psychiatry and film.’
- ‘For recreation he played the violin, read widely, painted, dined with the local gentry, and, it seems, indulged his considerable interest in women.’
- ‘This is a good time for you, the caregiver, to get things done, catch up on your rest, or indulge your own interests.’
- ‘As companies competed to indulge this yearning, they began to elaborate mass production into mass customization.’
- ‘I can't decide whether or not to ignore his advice in favour of indulging my desire to have something pretty.’
- ‘It was the first time he had enough land - 16,000 square feet - to indulge his love for gardening, a passion that started when he was a boy in Trinidad.’
- ‘I hated it and I knew I wanted to be in the kitchen, so in 1956 I headed straight for Paris to work in a patisserie, indulging my love of sugar and sweetness.’
- ‘After a year of reflection afforded by the grant, Clarke found work in Europe, indulging her love of music and opera.’
satisfy, gratify, fulfil, satiate, quench, appease, feed, accommodateView synonyms - 1.4with object Allow (someone) to enjoy a desired pleasure.‘I spent time indulging myself with secret feasts’
- ‘My maker indulged me in this little secret while I was still young and I used it wisely.’
- ‘Kris grunted, ‘Well why don't you tell me about your past and perhaps I'll indulge you with my deep dark secrets.’’
- ‘Does she feel rather dashing, a bona fide member of someone else's generation, or is she merely indulging her younger and stupider staff?’
- ‘I smiled at her, misunderstanding, thinking I was indulging her.’
- ‘For example. he indulges us with a discussion of his average childhood.’
- ‘When our parents' generation indulges us and blames itself, this doesn't take anybody very far.’
- ‘His parents, Jack and Sarah, indulged him in this obsession.’
- ‘Whether I had fooled my mom, or whether she simply indulged me, I didn't know for sure.’
- ‘She came along for the laugh and indulged us by taking the photos.’
- ‘I love movies where the plot is just driven on dialogue, so this movie indulged me.’
- ‘There are more, but I think you've indulged me enough for one evening.’
- ‘To compensate for the harshness of his life, his mother indulged him.’
- ‘I indulged him, nodding my head ever so often and even paying attention to certain parts.’
- ‘And yet behind each story of a pampered auteur lurks the story of the producer who indulged him.’
- ‘The Camorra flattered and indulged him, while the police and press stayed silent.’
- ‘A teacher realised this and every two weeks she'd indulge me and let me write a play for the class.’
- ‘And here I hope you'll indulge me, I'm going to break the time frame of December 1941 but for reasons I think you'll find understandable.’
- ‘And now, dear reader, indulge me as I recycle some material I wrote twelve years ago, recounting the events of two years earlier.’
- ‘Now you're with someone who won't indulge you at all.’
- ‘But they mocked it in a sufficiently understated manner that, if you'll indulge me, I'm going to try to get a little more mileage out of it.’
pamper, spoil, overindulge, coddle, mollycoddle, cosset, nanny, nursemaid, mother, baby, pet, spoon-feed, overparentView synonyms
Pronunciation
Origin
Early 17th century (in the sense ‘treat with excessive kindness’): from Latin indulgere ‘give free rein to’.
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