What does binge mean?
A binge is a brief but intense period of overindulgence in an activity, most classically eating or drinking, though modern usage extends readily to watching television, gaming, or shopping. The noun describes the episode itself — 'a weekend binge' — while the verb captures the act: 'they binged all ten episodes in one sitting.' The word carries connotations of loss of control and excess rather than simple enjoyment, and it features prominently in health and psychological contexts, as in 'binge drinking' or 'binge-eating disorder.' Originating as nineteenth-century British dialect and slang, likely connected to a verb meaning to soak or drench, it has shed much of its disreputable air and is now common in everyday speech. Its flexibility makes it one of the most useful modern words for describing any enthusiastic, boundary-crossing session of consumption.
A short period of uncontrolled or excessive indulgence in an activity, especially eating or drinking.
"The party turned into an all-night binge that emptied the cellar."
Frequently modified by the activity involved: a drinking binge, an eating binge.
To engage in excessive indulgence in an activity over a short period.
"He spent his day off bingeing old sitcoms on the couch."
Often used transitively with a direct object in media contexts: 'to binge a show'.
Standard plural used when referring to multiple separate episodes of overindulgence.
"His occasional binges never seemed to affect his work during the week."
Binge began life as 19th-century slang for soaking a wooden vessel to make its staves swell — which is oddly fitting for what it does to your weekend plans.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of binge
Binge first appeared as English dialect and slang in the mid-nineteenth century, originally meaning to soak or drench something thoroughly — possibly related to a Lincolnshire dialect sense of steeping wood in water. By the 1850s it had acquired its modern sense of heavy drinking, popularized in phrases like 'on the binge.' From there it broadened steadily through the twentieth century to describe overindulgence of any kind, gaining fresh prominence with the rise of streaming media and the coinage of 'binge-watching' in the 2010s. No widely accepted cognates exist, as its deeper origins remain obscure.
Related word forms
How binge is actually used
Informal to neutral in register. Originally associated chiefly with drinking and eating, the word has broadened since the late 20th century to cover media consumption ('binge-watching'), shopping, and other activities. Both 'bingeing' and 'binging' are accepted spellings of the present participle.
Easily confused with binge
Singe means to burn something superficially, while binge means to overindulge in an activity — the words rhyme but share no meaning.