Indulge Definition & Meaning | Britannica Dictionary (original) (raw)

1

:

to allow (yourself) to have or do something as a special pleasure

[+ object]

• It's my birthday. I'm going to indulge myself and eat whatever I want to eat.

— often + in

• He indulged himself in the pleasure of a day spent entirely at the beach.

[no object]

• It's my birthday. I'm going to indulge.

— often + in

• For our anniversary, we indulged in an expensive dinner.

2

[+ object]

a

:

to allow (someone) to have or do something even though it may not be proper, healthy, appropriate, etc.

• He knows that his aunt is always willing to indulge [=_spoil_] him.
• They always indulged their grandchildren's whims. [=they always allowed their grandchildren to do whatever they wanted to do]

b

:

to patiently allow (someone) to do or say something

• Please indulge me while I review the topics we covered yesterday.

3

[+ object]

:

to do the things that you want to do because of (a feeling, interest, desire, etc.)

• The museum is an excellent place to let children indulge their curiosity about dinosaurs.
• She bought a house with a big yard so that she could indulge her passion for gardening.