binge

1 of 2

noun

ˈbinj 

plural binges

1

: an unrestrained and often excessive indulgence

a buying/shopping binge

a weekend-long TV binge

especially : an act of excessive or compulsive consumption (as of food or alcoholic beverages)

went on an eating/drinking binge

Meanwhile, the hangover cure pitches suggest that before every healthy New Year's resolution comes an unhealthy New Year's binge.

—M. Carrie Allan

see also binge drinking, binge eating, binge-watch

2

: a social gathering : party

… fancy-dress binges have always been my dish.

—P. G. Wodehouse

binge

2 of 2

verb

binged; bingeing or binging

intransitive verb

: to go on a binge

bingeing on beer and pretzels

Anorexics eat hardly anything while bulimics binge on large amounts of food, then purge themselves with laxatives or by vomiting or other means.

—Jon Marcus

binger

ˈbin-jər 

noun

Synonyms

Noun

• bender
• bust
• carousal
• carouse
• drunk
• jamboree
• spree
• toot
• wassail

Verb

• birl [chiefly Scottish]
• carouse
• revel
• roister
• wassail

Examples of binge in a Sentence

Noun

weekend binges are a serious problem at many colleges and universities

a shopping binge at the mall

Verb

a program designed to educate college students about the dangers of bingeing

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Though plenty of new movies are coming out this holiday season, there are also plenty of merry TV shows streaming online for the perfect holiday binge. —Kelsie Gibson, People.com, 13 Dec. 2024

The goal of treatment is to change any eating habits, thoughts, and feelings that play a part in your binge eating.2 Psychotherapy is the main form of treatment. —Wendy Wisner, Health, 7 Dec. 2024

Verb

Additionally, about 20% of employees admit to binge drinking at these events (eek). —Elizabeth Pearson, Forbes, 13 Dec. 2024

Her love of science came from watching PBS shows as a kid with her mom and spending too much time binging Doctor Who. —Monica Cull, Discover Magazine, 12 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

English dialect binge (to drink heavily)

First Known Use

Noun

1854, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1881, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing binge

• binge and purge
• binge eating disorder
• binge-watch

Kids Definition

binge

noun

ˈbinj

1

: spree

2

: an act of consuming something (as food) to excess

binge verb

bingeable

ˈbin-jə-bəl

adjective

Medical Definition

binge

1 of 2 noun

ˈbinj 

: an act of excessive or compulsive consumption especially of food or alcoholic beverages see also binge drinking, binge eating

binge

2 of 2 intransitive verb

binged; bingeing or binging

: to go on a binge

… as compared to males, females were more likely to have used alcohol in the past 30 days, but less likely to have binged …

—Kathleen Ragsdale et al., Journal of Substance Use

The bulimic patient prefers to be alone when she binges, and she binges usually for between 15 minutes and a few hours.

—L. K. George Hsu, Behavior Modification

binger

-ər 

noun