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:
Hastily-put-together surveying is apparently being done now in an attempt to placate the development’s detractors.
From Slate ● Sep. 8, 2026
For its part, PG&E is expected to announce changes in its capital-allocation strategies, but it’s unclear if that would placate investors.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 31, 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
In 1957, a young Queen Elizabeth was sent to New York to placate a furious President Eisenhower after Britain, along with Israel and France, invaded Egypt without informing the U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 27, 2026
To placate Lydia, she agreed to ask Dickie’s family for a meeting, banking on the fact that Dickie’s son, Jimmy, would refuse.
From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman
“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
To conceal this, Spotify placates us by telling us that we’re superior in some way because of it.
From Slate ● Dec. 3, 2020
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
And yet it may be so,' he said, smoothing her bright hair as one placates a child.
From The Crooked Stick or Pollies's Probation by Rolf Boldrewood
A separate message from a city official appeared to suggest that demonstrators could be placated with a new casual dining spot.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 26, 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
However, "Friends" fans can feel placated in knowing that Perry was already honored by the Television Academy at the 2023 Emmy Awards, which were hosted in January due to the SAG-AFTRA strikes.
From Salon ● Sep. 16, 2024
Those moves have not placated the protesters, who have been demonstrating intermittently since October and have transformed their activity into a daily presence since March 24.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 11, 2024
Not when invaders were threatening the Empire and the populous had to be placated.
From "Tiger, Tiger" by Lynne Reid Banks
In the hope, amongst other things, of somewhat placating President Trump.
From BBC ● Apr. 24, 2026
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
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
“I don’t want him to suffer for the sake of placating other people,” said Mays’ daughter Jennifer Nutt, 47, of Merced.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 4, 2025
“You have to understand,” Patria said in a placating voice.
From "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez
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.
