please
Americanadverb
verb (used with object)
-
pleases,
present (3rd person singular)
-
pleased,
past participle, past
-
pleasing
present participle
-
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)
-
pleases,
present (3rd person singular)
-
pleased,
past participle, past
-
pleasing
present participle
idioms
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
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if you will or wish, sometimes used in ironic exclamation
-
happy because of
-
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
-
has been pleasingperfect progressive
Past
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pleasedsimple
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had pleasedperfect
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was pleasingprogressive
-
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:
"But on the other hand, please, don't forget that this is being done for the citizens of Ukraine."
From Barron's ● Nov. 3, 2026
"There are six different ways someone could go with this, and we can't do them all. So please, scoop us. We'd love it."
From Science Daily ● Nov. 3, 2026
You will see a column from me next week so please give it a read.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
"I will never do that and you can ask her, she was on the joke with me. She did Soc on purpose, and I said Soc, so please stop inventing stories."
From BBC ● Oct. 28, 2026
“Just as you described it. Let me stay here with you, please, Togbe!”
From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo
Some AI initiatives may take longer to manifest in a way that pleases investors.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026
This isn’t just teenage dramatics: Elephant seals don’t hunt or eat as they molt, so he’s hungry and tired and will sleep wherever he damn pleases.
From Salon ● Jul. 7, 2026
But Mr. Trump may find he’s now liberated Mr. Cassidy, who can vote as he pleases this year without fear of further retribution.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 17, 2026
The success many of the actors have found thanks to “The Secret Agent” very much pleases the filmmakers, but it also has a major downside.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 24, 2026
Yes, it’s her treasure box and she can do as she pleases with it, but G’ma’s usually all about respecting Scoob’s “agency.”
From "Clean Getaway" by Nic Stone
AMD also pleased Wall Street with elements of its forecast last week, including a projection that revenue from data-center GPUs could surpass revenue from server CPUs in the fourth quarter.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 4, 2026
“We’re pleased to see it computing commonsense outputs from abstract inputs, but we feel admiration toward it rather than warmth.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 3, 2026
Snap, the maker of Snapchat, said in a statement that it was "pleased to have been able to resolve this matter in an amicable manner."
From Barron's ● Nov. 2, 2026
A Dow Jones spokesperson said the company was pleased with the decision.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 31, 2026
I was pleased too, since Myrt and Mabel were probably the only two females in Sassafras Springs that hadn’t heard about the outhouse yet.
From "The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs" by Betty G. Birney
It is pleasing in its simplicity, but it also comes with lots of risk, especially if reality doesn’t line up with your calculations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026
Herbert and the starting offense, though, made sure they left something pleasing on film.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026
When Ritchson isn’t barreling through that summertime face-punching tour, he fronts pleasing if unchallenging straight-to-streaming romps like “Playdate” and “War Machine.”
From Salon ● Aug. 22, 2026
Each scenario asks players to pick one action from three choices on the screen, with each potentially upsetting or pleasing the different factions.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
It would be just as pleasing to him, he thought, if she questioned him no further about Shad’s letter.
From "Across Five Aprils" by Irene Hunt
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