displease
Americanverb (used with object)
-
displeases,
present (3rd person singular)
-
displeased,
past participle, past
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displeasing
present participle
verb (used without object)
-
displeases,
present (3rd person singular)
-
displeased,
past participle, past
-
displeasing
present participle
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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displeasesimple
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displeasessimple
-
have displeasedperfect
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has displeasedperfect
-
am displeasingprogressive
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are displeasingprogressive
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is displeasingprogressive
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have been displeasingperfect progressive
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has been displeasingperfect progressive
Past
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displeasedsimple
-
had displeasedperfect
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was displeasingprogressive
-
were displeasingprogressive
-
had been displeasingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of displease
1300–50; Middle English desplesen < Anglo-French, Middle French desplaisir. See dis- 1, please
Explanation
When you displease someone, you disappoint them or make them unhappy. Your dog's loud barking at 5 AM is sure to displease your neighbors. The prefix dis- is often used to signify the opposite of something, and displease is no exception: it means to do the opposite of pleasing someone. Your terrible grades will displease your parents and your teachers, not to mention you, and being served your least favorite foods at your birthday dinner will also displease you. Please has a Latin root, placere, "be acceptable, be liked, or be approved."
Vocabulary lists containing displease
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The capacity of policymakers to make decisions that might displease the government is under increasing threat, the head of the European Central Bank said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 1, 2026
This change may displease some, but for those being vigilant about their health and would like more transparency about the food they are eating, it's a welcome change.
From Salon ● Nov. 20, 2023
“I had the honor of knowing a hierarch who did not hesitate to directly express his opinion, regardless of whether this would displease his interlocutor or even a section of society,” Anastasiades said.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 12, 2022
Mr Mitsotakis said the decision had "tortured" him but he felt a "heavy responsibility in standing next to those most vulnerable, even if it might fleetingly displease them".
From BBC ● Nov. 30, 2021
I knew most of the answers but I never raised my hand, because I often wanted to ask questions and I knew it would displease father if I did.
From "Bless Me, Ultima" by Rudolfo Anaya
"We showed it with Gabriella, we showed it again with Laurence. But it displeases some people, obviously. It's competition, it's natural. But it's true that it was more complicated than we thought."
From Barron's ● Feb. 12, 2026
The rest of NIH’s 27 institutes and centers would stay at current budget levels, a status quo that displeases advocates for biomedical research.
From Science Magazine ● Mar. 9, 2023
“But traditionally with royals throughout history, if anyone displeases them, they are out. As Prince Philip always, always said: ‘It’s not about the individual.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 1, 2022
On occasion such an arrangement leads to images whose directness displeases the authorities, but a more common outcome has been that proximity to an army helps bolster the narrative preferred by the army.
From New York Times ● Feb. 6, 2019
Then he says something to my daughter that really displeases her: “It’s uncanny how much you two look alike!”
From "The Joy Luck Club" by Amy Tan
FBI Director Kash Patel was also displeased with the office’s progress, according to the outlet.
From Salon ● Sep. 27, 2026
And unlike Jobs, who famously flew into fits of rage when displeased, Cook maintains a much more approachable personality.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 29, 2026
As for this year’s slate, the range was typically broad, and the choices seem to have left no one displeased, with a number of festivalgoers insisting the programming was the most satisfying they could recall.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 11, 2026
So I’d like each of them to name an issue where, for the good of the state, they’re willing to take on their friends and allies, knowing they’ll be displeased.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 28, 2026
The drums kept him awake all night, he guessed, or someone has displeased him.
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
Boasberg would later rule that prosecutors had “offered no evidence whatsoever that Powell committed any crime other than displeasing the president.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 12, 2026
District Court for the District of Columbia agreed; he quashed the subpoenas and said the government had offered no evidence that Powell committed any crime “other than displeasing the president.”
From Barron's ● Mar. 18, 2026
"My wife sends her regards, thank you for the pudding rice. She sends your fiancé this sweater and hopes that it is not displeasing to her," it reads.
From BBC ● Mar. 1, 2024
Having a well-stocked refrigerator filled with rotting foods is incredibly wasteful and displeasing, to say the least.
From Salon ● Feb. 23, 2024
“So you thought you might be displeasing El Jefe by admitting to a friendship with Virgilio Morales?”
From "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez
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