indulge
allow yourself a special pleasure
to let yourself have or do something you enjoy, especially something nice like food, rest, or a luxury
to indulge (yourself) (in) [something enjoyable]
- After a long week at work, she decided to indulge herself with a spa day.
- If you’re on a diet, you can still indulge in a small piece of dark chocolate.
- He rarely buys anything for himself, but once a year he indulges in a really expensive bottle of wine.
- On vacation we like to indulge ourselves and stay in a nice hotel.
- They told him to relax and indulge his love of good food for one night.
- On my birthday, I indulge myself with a big cake.
- She works hard, so she sometimes indulges in a long, hot bath.
- When I travel, I like to indulge in local food.
- He doesn’t often indulge himself, but today he bought new shoes.
- It is okay to indulge in a small treat now and then.
be too willing to give in
to give someone what they want too easily, or let them do what they want too much
to indulge [someone] / to indulge [someone’s] [wish/whim/habit]
- They tend to indulge their children, buying them every new gadget they ask for.
- The teacher refused to indulge his constant need for attention.
- Her grandparents love to indulge her every whim when she visits.
- If you indulge that kind of behavior now, it will be very hard to change later.
- He indulged his son for years, and now the boy expects to get everything he wants.
- The parents indulge their child and never say no.
- Her mother indulges her bad habits and does not stop her.
- If you always indulge him, he will not learn to share.
- His grandparents indulge him and buy him many toys.
- The coach does not indulge lazy players.
engage in a harmful pleasure
to do something you enjoy but that is not good for you or is seen as wrong, such as smoking, gambling, or gossip
to indulge in [a negative or excessive activity]
- He occasionally indulges in gambling, even though he knows it’s risky.
- The article criticizes politicians who indulge in personal attacks instead of serious debate.
- She refuses to indulge in gossip about her colleagues.
- After his injury, he began to indulge in self-pity rather than looking for solutions.
- They accused the group of indulging in violent rhetoric online.
- He sometimes indulges in gambling on weekends.
- I try not to indulge in gossip at work.
- She does not want to indulge in bad habits like smoking.
- They indulged in heavy drinking at the party.
- We should not indulge in violence, even when we are angry.
humor or give in politely
to be kind and let someone have what they ask for, or to accept an idea you do not really agree with, often just to be polite
to indulge [someone / something] / to indulge [someone’s] [whim/fantasy/curiosity]
- If you’ll indulge me for a moment, I’d like to tell a short story.
- The director refused to indulge the actor’s last-minute demands.
- She smiled and indulged his fantasy about quitting his job and moving to an island.
- Curious, he asked another question, and she indulged him with a detailed answer.
- The committee decided not to indulge his request for yet another extension.
- If you will indulge me, I want to ask one more question.
- She did not believe his idea, but she indulged him and listened.
- They did not want to indulge his strange request.
- The teacher indulged the students’ curiosity and answered many extra questions.
- He likes to indulge his own fantasy of living in another country.
- Base: indulge
- 3rd Person Singular: indulges
- Present Participle: indulging
- Past: indulged
indulge a child
1be too soft with a child
to give a child what they want too easily or too often, so they may become spoiled
- Grandparents often indulge a child more than the parents do.
- If you always indulge a child, they may not learn to accept limits.
- They tend to indulge their child instead of saying no.
indulge a fantasy
1allow an unrealistic daydream
to let yourself enjoy thinking about something that is not real or not likely to happen
- Sometimes it’s nice to indulge a fantasy about leaving everything and moving to the beach.
- She indulged his fantasy of starting a band, even though she knew it would never happen.
- He occasionally indulges a fantasy of winning the lottery.
indulge a habit
1allow a habit to continue
to let a habit continue, especially when it is not good or not necessary, instead of stopping it
- He tries not to indulge his smoking habit when he’s around his children.
- She decided she would no longer indulge her habit of checking her phone at night.
- The manager refuses to indulge the team’s habit of arriving late.
indulge in
1do or consume something pleasurable
to do something or eat/drink something that you enjoy, especially when it is not good for you or you do it too much
- On weekends, he likes to indulge in long, lazy breakfasts.
- Many people indulge in sweets when they are stressed.
- They indulged in loud gossip about their coworkers during lunch.
indulge me
1politely ask for patience or permission
used before a question or comment to politely ask someone to be patient and allow you to say or do something
- Indulge me for a minute while I explain the background.
- If you’ll indulge me, I’d like to tell a short story.
- Just indulge me and answer one more question.
indulge someone's curiosity
1satisfy someone's curiosity kindly
to kindly give someone the information they want because they are very interested or curious
- She indulged his curiosity and explained how the machine worked.
- To indulge the children’s curiosity, the guide opened the engine room door.
- He asked one more question, and the scientist indulged his curiosity with a detailed answer.
indulge yourself
1treat yourself to something nice
to let yourself enjoy something special, like good food, rest, or a small luxury
- Go on, indulge yourself and order dessert.
- On holiday you should relax and indulge yourself a little.
- She decided to indulge herself with a new pair of shoes.