pleasure
Americannoun
-
the state or feeling of being pleased.
- Synonyms:
- delectation, gladness, happiness
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enjoyment or satisfaction derived from what is to one's liking; gratification; delight.
-
worldly or frivolous enjoyment.
the pursuit of pleasure.
-
recreation or amusement; diversion; enjoyment.
Are you traveling on business or for pleasure?
-
sensual gratification.
- Synonyms:
- voluptuousness
-
a cause or source of enjoyment or delight.
It was a pleasure to see you.
-
pleasurable quality.
the pleasure of his company.
-
one's will, desire, or choice.
to make known one's pleasure.
- Synonyms:
- predilection, inclination, wish, preference
verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
-
to take pleasure; delight.
I pleasure in your company.
-
to seek pleasure, as by taking a holiday.
noun
-
an agreeable or enjoyable sensation or emotion
the pleasure of hearing good music
-
something that gives or affords enjoyment or delight
his garden was his only pleasure
-
-
amusement, recreation, or enjoyment
-
( as modifier )
a pleasure boat
pleasure ground
-
-
euphemistic sexual gratification or enjoyment
he took his pleasure of her
-
a person's preference or choice
verb
Synonym Usage
Pleasure, enjoyment, delight, joy refer to the feeling of being pleased and happy. Pleasure is the general term: to take pleasure in beautiful scenery. Enjoyment is a quiet sense of well-being and pleasurable satisfaction: enjoyment at sitting in the shade on a warm day. Delight is a high degree of pleasure, usually leading to active expression of it: delight at receiving a hoped-for letter. Joy is a feeling of delight so deep and so lasting that one radiates happiness and expresses it spontaneously: joy at unexpected good news.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
have pleasuredperfect
-
has pleasuredperfect 3rd person singular
-
are pleasuringprogressive
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is pleasuringprogressive 3rd person singular
-
has been pleasuringperfect progressive 3rd person singular
-
have been pleasuringperfect progressive
-
am pleasuringprogressive 1st person singular
-
pleasuressingular 3rd person
-
pleasuringparticiple
Past
-
had pleasuredperfect
-
had been pleasuringperfect progressive
-
were pleasuringprogressive plural
-
was pleasuringprogressive singular
-
pleasuredsimple
-
pleasuredparticiple
Future
Etymology
Origin of pleasure
First recorded in 1325–75; late Middle English ( see please, -ure); replacing Middle English plaisir, from Middle French (noun use of infinitive), from Latin placēre “to please”
Explanation
Pleasure is a general term for good feelings. People get pleasure from eating, sleeping, watching TV, or anything else they enjoy. Pleasure is the opposite of pain. Pain feels bad, but pleasure feels good. People talk about sexual pleasure, but that's just one kind. People get pleasure from delicious foods, great movies, beautiful music, and all sorts of other things. Something as small as a comfortable chair and something as big as your candidate being elected President can bring pleasure. If you had a good time hosting your friends for lunch, you can tell them "It was a pleasure."
Vocabulary lists containing pleasure
Spelling Practice, Unit 3
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Selection Vocabulary 3, Unit 6
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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.
A great song offers pleasure, but a great album – no skips – is a doorway.
From Salon • Jun. 5, 2026
The zoo was part of Battersea Park's transformation into a pleasure gardens for the Festival of Britain, a post-war celebration of arts, science and technology.
From BBC • May 29, 2026
But on the bestsellers display at your favorite local indie, it represents the small pleasure of palming a near-pocket-size book in your hands.
From Los Angeles Times • May 27, 2026
Share your souvenir guilty pleasure with me at [email protected] and we’ll publish some in a future newsletter.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026
How there could have been any pleasure in the sight of these stick-thin legs and hunger-bloated stomachs I could not imagine.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
