please
Americanadverb
verb (used with object)
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to act to the pleasure or satisfaction of.
to please the public.
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to be the pleasure or will of.
May it please your Majesty.
verb (used without object)
idioms
verb
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to give satisfaction, pleasure, or contentment to (a person); make or cause (a person) to be glad
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to be the will of or have the will (to)
if it pleases you
the court pleases
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if you will or wish, sometimes used in ironic exclamation
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happy because of
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to do as one likes
adverb
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(sentence modifier) used in making polite requests and in pleading, asking for a favour, etc
please don't tell the police where I am
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a polite formula for accepting an offer, invitation, etc
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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pleasednessnoun
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pleasernoun
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overpleaseverb
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outpleaseverb (used with object)
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half-pleasedadjective
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pleasableadjective
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pleasedadjective
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self-pleasedadjective
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unpleasableadjective
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unpleasedadjective
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well-pleasedadjective
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pleasedlyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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pleasesimple
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pleasessimple
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have pleasedperfect
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has pleasedperfect
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am pleasingprogressive
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are pleasingprogressive
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is pleasingprogressive
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have been pleasingperfect progressive
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has been pleasingperfect progressive
Past
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pleasedsimple
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had pleasedperfect
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was pleasingprogressive
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were pleasingprogressive
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had been pleasingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of please
First recorded in 1275–1325; (verb) Middle English plesen, plaisen, from Middle French plaisir, ultimately from Latin placēre “to please, seem good” ( see placid); the use of please with requests, etc., is presumably a reduction of the clause (it) please you “may it please you,” later reinforced by imperative use of intransitive please to be pleased, wish
Explanation
To please someone is to give them pleasure or to make them happy. This is also a word for polite requests like, "Could you please pass the milk?" Have you ever been asked "What's the magic word"? It's please, a small word that makes any request more polite. Saying please is sure to please just about everyone, although different things please different people. Turning in your homework on time will please your teachers, while a good belly rub and some extra treats will please your dog.
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:
They asked the chatbot to please read the recipe aloud to aid their sleep.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
"But please send things that are more necessary. Yes, food is necessary, but if you see fans, masks, goggles, these are also very important right now."
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
“For anyone who needs to hear this, please know: You are loved. You are worthy. You are enough. There are always brighter days ahead.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
Some of Conagra’s rivals have also struggled this year to please investors.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 15, 2026
“No supervisor today. There was an emergency with one of the day shift girls—Lakewood 3729, please hold —did you ever meet Louisa Safechuck? Miss Genovese is out managing it.”
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
Hate is a virus that spreads how it pleases.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 6, 2026
“Just when you think the flavor has fully revealed itself, you discover a subtle hint of citrus at the finish that really pleases the palate.”
From Salon ● Jan. 28, 2026
“She does what she pleases and that is what upsets,” wrote the feminist philosopher Simone de Beauvoir in an essay on Bardot.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 28, 2025
He likes to come and go as he pleases, but it’s challenging to drive and get around in the winter.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 24, 2025
‘What pleases you one day don’t please you at all the next. What more do you think it is?”
From "Shiloh" by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Strachan appeared pleased with the five year term when he was leaving the dock.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
Even if they are pleased with a company’s quarterly results, investors will be more excited by a rosy outlook.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026
“We’re pleased to have resolved this matter earlier this year,” an American Airlines company spokesman said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
Another soldier in Izium, nicknamed "Ananas", also told AFP he was pleased to see the back of Syrsky, who was known for military success but also developed a reputation for not caring about losses.
From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026
That was an exaggeration, but I was pleased by how Anna May presented me.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
An adviser’s recommendations may not always be pleasing to hear, but they flow from a more complete understanding of a client’s situation based on detailed fact-finding, probing and insight into the client’s needs.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026
Bran Black, chief executive of the Business Council of Australia says it was pleasing that the government is prioritizing the development of AI policy, while establishing an AI Office in Canberra.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
Lawyers for the club argue that the 526-yard, par 5 is its signature hole, the hardest and most aesthetically pleasing on the course.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
Jeff Greenblatt, a former researcher for Socolow who contributed to the “Wedges” paper, said the researchers had engaged in “a delicate dance” between maintaining their intellectual integrity and pleasing BP.
From Salon ● Jun. 26, 2026
Or: His attentions were both pleasing and flattering. comprise.
From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner
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.
