pleased; pleasing
1
: to afford or give pleasure or satisfaction
3
archaic
: to have the kindness
will you please to enter the carriage—
Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens1
: to give pleasure to : gratify
2
: to be the will or pleasure of
may it please Your Majesty
1
—used as a function word to express politeness or emphasis in a request
please come in
2
—used as a function word to express polite affirmation
like some tea? Please
3
—used as a function word to express scornful disagreement, disapproval, or disbelief
you believe that? Oh, please
Synonyms
Examples of please in a Sentence
Verb
He joined the football team to please his father.
Her parents were pleased by her decision.
It pleases me to know that you liked the gift.
They're very hard to please.
Recent Examples on the WebJolene Thym, The Mercury News, 17 Apr. 2024
The proposal pleased New Mexicans and rankled Arizonans of the time.
—Kaely Monahan, The Arizona Republic, 10 Apr. 2024
The administration has been pleased by Japan’s strong support for Ukraine.
—Aamer Madhani, Fortune Asia, 10 Apr. 2024
When they are finally cleared for takeoff the lady does not need to be asked to please place her seat in the upright position or to please push her bag under the seat in front of her.
—Lizz Schumer, Peoplemag, 10 Apr. 2024
But this one would be good for one thing — pleasing the tens of thousands of out-of-town fans who come to their home games.
—Nick Canepa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Apr. 2024
But those incremental improvements are hardly enough to please the public, whose discontent over prices poses a risk to President Joe Biden’s re-election bid.
—Paul Wiseman, Fortune, 30 Mar. 2024
With issues like the 2020 US presidential election, for example, social media companies found an answer that pleased no one: leaving most false claims about the election online but adding captions that labeled posts as misinformation.
—Maxwell Zeff and Thomas Germain / Gizmodo, Quartz, 29 Mar. 2024
Winner: tie The Lexus RX will easily please shoppers looking for comfort, reasonable pricing and reputable build quality.
—Alex Nishimoto, Quartz, 3 Apr. 2024
Christopher Borrelli, chicagotribune.com, 23 Dec. 2021
Verb
These slices of aged pork produced by Lucerne in Pleasanton may please.
—Jolene Thym, The Mercury News, 17 Apr. 2024
The proposal pleased New Mexicans and rankled Arizonans of the time.
—Kaely Monahan, The Arizona Republic, 10 Apr. 2024
The administration has been pleased by Japan’s strong support for Ukraine.
—Aamer Madhani, Fortune Asia, 10 Apr. 2024
When they are finally cleared for takeoff the lady does not need to be asked to please place her seat in the upright position or to please push her bag under the seat in front of her.
—Lizz Schumer, Peoplemag, 10 Apr. 2024
But this one would be good for one thing — pleasing the tens of thousands of out-of-town fans who come to their home games.
—Nick Canepa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Apr. 2024
But those incremental improvements are hardly enough to please the public, whose discontent over prices poses a risk to President Joe Biden’s re-election bid.
—Paul Wiseman, Fortune, 30 Mar. 2024
With issues like the 2020 US presidential election, for example, social media companies found an answer that pleased no one: leaving most false claims about the election online but adding captions that labeled posts as misinformation.
—Maxwell Zeff and Thomas Germain / Gizmodo, Quartz, 29 Mar. 2024
Winner: tie The Lexus RX will easily please shoppers looking for comfort, reasonable pricing and reputable build quality.
—Alex Nishimoto, Quartz, 3 Apr. 2024
Adverb
Naturally, during the 113 years those bells have hung in Mitchell Tower, there have been Hyde Park residents asking if these (expletive) change ringers would please stop.
—Christopher Borrelli, chicagotribune.com, 23 Dec. 2021
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'please.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Please.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/please. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
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