ENGLISH
REFERENCE

indulge

v.
C1 Advanced Oxford US //ˌɪnˈdəɫdʒ// UK //ɪndˈʌldʒ// in·dulge

v. to allow yourself to have or do something that you enjoy, especially something that might be considered a bit bad for you. You can also indulge another person by letting them have what they want.

v. to allow oneself to enjoy the pleasure of something, often to an excessive degree; to yield to a desire or whim. When used with an object, it means to satisfy the wishes or whims of another person.


SIMPLE

I decided to indulge in a large piece of chocolate cake.

CONTEXTUAL

After working hard all month, she chose to indulge herself with a weekend at a luxury spa.

COMPLEX

The grandparents were often accused of indulging the children too much, granting every request for sweets and toys without regard for the parents' stricter rules.

Synonyms
Origin

From Latin indulgeō (“to indulge”).

Usage

Often used intransitively with the preposition 'in' ('indulge in a hobby') or transitively with a direct object ('indulge a child').

Pitfall

He indulged to the expensive wineHe indulged in the expensive wineWhen describing the activity or item enjoyed, the verb requires the preposition 'in' rather than 'to'.

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