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please

[ pleez ]

/ pliz /

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See synonyms for: please / pleased / pleasing on Thesaurus.com

adverb

(used as a polite addition to requests, commands, etc.) if you would be so obliging; kindly: Please come here.Will you please turn the radio off?

verb (used with object), pleased, pleas·ing.

to act to the pleasure or satisfaction of: to please the public.

to be the pleasure or will of: May it please your Majesty.

verb (used without object), pleased, pleas·ing.

to like, wish, or feel inclined: Go where you please.

to give pleasure or satisfaction; be agreeable: manners that please.

OTHER WORDS FOR please

4 choose, like, want, wish.

See synonyms for please on Thesaurus.com

VIDEO FOR PLEASE

Why Are We Always Trying To Teach Kids To Say "Please"?

Is there anything cuter than a kid saying please? But, why is it one of the first things that we teach them to say?

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QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms about please

if you please,

if it be your pleasure; if you like or prefer.
(used as an exclamation expressing astonishment, indignation, etc.): The missing letter was in his pocket, if you please!

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

OTHER WORDS FROM please

pleas·a·ble, adjectivepleas·ed·ly

[plee-zid-lee, pleezd-], /ˈpli zɪd li, ˈplizd-/, adverbpleas·ed·ness, nounpleas·er, noun

half-pleased, adjectiveout·please, verb (used with object), out·pleased, out·pleas·ing.o·ver·please, verb, o·ver·pleased, o·ver·pleas·ing.self-pleased, adjectiveun·pleas·a·ble, adjectiveun·pleased, adjectivewell-pleased, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH please

pleas, please

Words nearby please

Pleasant Hill, Pleasant Island, Pleasanton, pleasantry, Pleasantville, please, pleased as Punch, Pleasence, pleaser, pleasing, pleasurable

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use please in a sentence

“Please, please do not permit this to happen here in Florida,” wrote Cris K. Smith of East Polk County.
Jeb Bush’s Unseen Anti-Gay Marriage Emails|Jackie Kucinich|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
“Please,” he laughed, handing me the map after he was finished sketching.
The Life and Hard Times Of The Family A Cuban Defector Left Behind|Brin-Jonathan Butler|December 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Please, Your Excellencies, consider my case with justice and intervene on my behalf.
An American Marine in Iran’s Prisons Goes on Hunger Strike|IranWire|December 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Please know she has a very special place in our collective hearts.
The Mystery Death Of A Female Firefighter|Christopher Moraff|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST

I would nod, and we'd tell the St. Regis 'One more night, please.'
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days|David Freeman|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
All please noteHis wondrous height and girth; He has the longest legs and throatOf anything on earth.
Boys and Girls Bookshelf; a Practical Plan of Character Building, Volume I (of 17)|Various
Add to this, if you please, the great difficulty of obtaining from them even the words that they have.
The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents, Vol. II: Acadia, 1612-1614|Various
I desired the captain would please to accept this ring in return of his civilities, which he absolutely refused.
Gulliver's Travels|Jonathan Swift
Hain't I kep' in doors uv a nite, an quit chawn tobacker and smokin' segars just to please her?
The Book of Anecdotes and Budget of Fun;|Various
She would not dare to choose, and begged that Mademoiselle Reisz would please herself in her selections.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin

British Dictionary definitions for please

please

/ (pliːz) /

verb

to give satisfaction, pleasure, or contentment to (a person); make or cause (a person) to be glad

to be the will of or have the will (to)if it pleases you; the court pleases

if you please if you will or wish, sometimes used in ironic exclamation

pleased with happy because of

please oneself to do as one likes

adverb

(sentence modifier) used in making polite requests and in pleading, asking for a favour, etcplease don't tell the police where I am

yes please a polite formula for accepting an offer, invitation, etc

Derived forms of please

pleasable, adjectivepleased, adjectivepleasedly (ˈpliːzɪdlɪ), adverbpleaser, noun

Word Origin for please

C14 plese, from Old French plaisir, from Latin placēre to please, satisfy

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with please

please

see as you please.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.