placate
1 Americanverb (used with object)
-
placates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
placated,
past participle, past
-
placating
present participle
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
placatesimple
-
placatessimple
-
have placatedperfect
-
has placatedperfect
-
am placatingprogressive
-
are placatingprogressive
-
is placatingprogressive
-
have been placatingperfect progressive
-
has been placatingperfect progressive
Past
-
placatedsimple
-
had placatedperfect
-
was placatingprogressive
-
were placatingprogressive
-
had been placatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of placate1
First recorded in 1670–80; from Latin plācātus, past participle of plācāre “to quiet, calm, appease,” akin to placēre “to please”; cf. please
Origin of placate2
First recorded in 1625–35; apparently variant of placard
Explanation
If you placate someone, you stop them from being angry by giving them something or doing something that pleases them. If your dad is annoyed that you forgot to take out the trash, you might be able to placate him by doing the dishes. If your little sister is mad that the dog ate her favorite teddy bear, you could placate her by buying her an ice cream cone. A near synonym for placate is appease. The origin of placate is Latin placare, "to calm or soothe." The related Latin verb placere is the source of English please.
Vocabulary lists containing placate
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
ASVAB Word Knowledge
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
100 SAT words Beginning with "P"
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
Leavitt, by never failing to placate, flatter and worship her boss, has displayed a singular and decisive pathway, although not a very original one, to political success.
From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2026
She calls the new law "just a rough move to placate people", and has "no idea why schools don't just sell iron-on branded badges".
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
He is accompanied on his reluctant journey to the finish line with a group of characters who by turns torment and placate him.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 13, 2026
But it will have its work cut out to placate the mercurial Republican.
From Barron's ● Apr. 28, 2026
“All right, all right,” Dobbs sought to placate him.
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
“Symbolic progress placates people who are pushing for change, and it also invites backlash from those who want to maintain the status quo,” said Dr. Deo, of Southwestern Law School.
From New York Times ● Nov. 1, 2021
It’s a position that by now must feel familiar to Melania Trump — her husband provokes while she placates.
From Washington Post ● Aug. 27, 2018
It reassures the people who count on us that we're back on the straight and narrow, it placates the wronged party, and, ideally, it leads to self-reflection and improved behavior.
From Golf Digest ● Oct. 30, 2017
So British Gas will be hoping this new scheme placates the government while ensuring it holds on to millions of customers who don't switch and who have traditionally paid over the odds for their energy.
From BBC ● Feb. 21, 2017
It does not mean that in any mere outward and formal fashion Christ pleads with God, and softens and placates the Infinite and Eternal love of the Father in the heavens.
From Expositions of Holy Scripture St. Mark by Alexander Maclaren
The team placated him with a bottle of water.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
“These City Council people placated to the squeaky wheels,” Brandhorst said after the council hearing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 28, 2026
Those most concerned about Medicaid were placated earlier in the day to at least go along with this step.
From Slate ● Feb. 25, 2025
At least some openly gay Republicans appear to have been placated.
From Salon ● Jun. 5, 2024
The small concession placated the demonstrators outside the courthouse and they agreed to leave, defusing the situation, at least for a while.
From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson
Soundly beating earnings expectations isn’t placating investors skeptical of the durability of the frenzied AI data center buildout, which is driving these outsize earnings reports.
From Barron's ● Apr. 16, 2026
For Dr Wallace, the ad sends a message that "an affordable Christmas" is possible, by "placating the cash-strapped 'Grinch' that threatens to spoil everyone's Christmas".
From BBC ● Nov. 8, 2025
Neither satisfying the public’s prurient curiosity, nor allowing Epstein conspiracy theorists to second-guess prosecutorial judgment, nor placating a president’s political base is a valid reason to break the normal rule.
From Slate ● Jul. 21, 2025
With Carol, we saw that evolution from a placating wife and grieving mother into someone acutely aware of how strangers see her, and the ways that she can use their assumptions to her advantage.
From Salon ● Sep. 29, 2024
“What happened?” he asked, in the placating tone used for a child, as if humoring his wife’s madness would make it go away quickly.
From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
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.
