INDULGE
Dictionary entry overview: What does indulge mean?
• INDULGE (verb)
The verb INDULGE has 4 senses:
1. give free rein to
2. yield (to); give satisfaction to
3. enjoy to excess
4. treat with excessive indulgence
Familiarity information: INDULGE used as a verb is uncommon.
Dictionary entry details
• INDULGE (verb)
Meaning:
Give free rein to
Classified under:
Verbs of political and social activities and events
Context example:
The writer indulged in metaphorical language
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "indulge"):
wallow (devote oneself entirely to something; indulge in to an immoderate degree, usually with pleasure)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s PP
Meaning:
Yield (to); give satisfaction to
Classified under:
Verbs of eating and drinking
Synonyms:
pander; gratify; indulge
Hypernyms (to "indulge" is one way to...):
cater; ply; provide; supply (provide what is desired or needed, especially support, food or sustenance)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "indulge"):
humor; humour (put into a good mood)
spree (engage without restraint in an activity and indulge, as when shopping)
sow one's oats; sow one's wild oats (live promiscuously and self-indulgently)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody
Something ----s something
Sentence example:
Sam cannot indulge Sue
Meaning:
Enjoy to excess
Classified under:
Verbs of eating and drinking
Synonyms:
luxuriate; indulge
Context example:
She indulges in ice cream
Hypernyms (to "indulge" is one way to...):
consume; deplete; eat; eat up; exhaust; run through; use up; wipe out (use up (resources or materials))
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "indulge"):
surfeit (indulge (one's appetite) to satiety)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s something
Sentence example:
They indulge themselves
Meaning:
Treat with excessive indulgence
Classified under:
Verbs of political and social activities and events
Synonyms:
pamper; mollycoddle; featherbed; cosset; coddle; cocker; baby; indulge; spoil
Context examples:
grandparents often pamper the children / Let's not mollycoddle our students!
Hypernyms (to "indulge" is one way to...):
do by; handle; treat (interact in a certain way)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s somebody
