debauch

[ dih-bawch ]
See synonyms for: debauchdebauched on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)
  1. to corrupt by sensuality, intemperance, etc.; seduce.

  2. to corrupt or pervert; sully: His honesty was debauched by the prospect of easy money.

  1. Archaic. to lead away, as from allegiance or duty.

verb (used without object)
  1. to indulge in debauchery.

noun
  1. a period of wanton or sensual self-indulgence.

  2. an uninhibited spree or party; orgy: a wild debauch.

Origin of debauch

1
First recorded in 1585–95; from French débaucher “to entice away from duty, debauch,” Old French desbauchier “to disperse, scatter,” equivalent to des-dis-1 + -bauchier, derivative of bauc, bauch beam (from Germanic; see balcony, balk; compare French ébaucher “to rough-hew”); hence, presumably, “to hew (beams),” becoming “to split, separate,” becoming “to separate from work or duty”

Other words from debauch

  • de·bauch·er, noun
  • de·bauch·ment, noun

Words that may be confused with debauch

Words Nearby debauch

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use debauch in a sentence

  • The French House is an iconic Soho watering hole, scene of many an artistic, theatrical or literary debauch.

  • This marked a new stage in the family's financial progress; and as usual it was signalized by a grand debauch in bill-paying.

    Love's Pilgrimage | Upton Sinclair
  • The debauch of the previous night laid the foundation of disease, from which Charles never recovered.

    Charles Duran | The Author of The Waldos
  • There, as he had expected, the men were waiting in ominous silence, their eyes red with debauch and hate.

    Blazed Trail Stories | Stewart Edward White
  • We sat in the smoking-room, and having divided the plug we had a grand debauch.

    A Tramp's Notebook | Morley Roberts

British Dictionary definitions for debauch

debauch

/ (dɪˈbɔːtʃ) /


verb
  1. (when tr, usually passive) to lead into a life of depraved self-indulgence

  2. (tr) to seduce (a woman)

noun
  1. an instance or period of extreme dissipation

Origin of debauch

1
C16: from Old French desbaucher to corrupt, literally: to shape (timber) roughly, from bauch beam, of Germanic origin

Derived forms of debauch

  • debauchedly (dɪˈbɔːtʃɪdlɪ), adverb
  • debauchedness, noun
  • debaucher, noun
  • debauchery or debauchment, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012