1
: desire, inclination
wait upon his pleasure—
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare2
: a state of gratification
3
a
: sensual gratification
b
: frivolous amusement
4
: a source of delight or joy
pleasured; pleasuring
ˈplezh-riŋ 
ˈplāzh-;
ˈple-zhə-,
ˈplā-
Synonyms
Examples of pleasure in a Sentence
Noun
I paint for the sheer pleasure of it.
His grandparents took great pleasure in seeing him graduate from college.
Is this trip for business or pleasure?
It is a special pleasure for me to be here with you today.
Now I can enjoy the simple pleasures of life, like spending time with my family.
Verb
a wine that is sure to pleasure even the most discriminating palate
Recent Examples on the WebSaveur Editors, Saveur, 25 Apr. 2024
All the pleasure concentrated not in the butter, or even the chocolate for which the shop is known, but in the mellow, nutty flavor of the flour.
—Ruby Tandoh, The New Yorker, 24 Apr. 2024
The August Wilson Theater, done up like the Kit Kat Club for a bracing, high-style, Broadway revival that opened there Sunday, has indeed been transformed into a house of pleasure.
—Naveen Kumar, Variety, 22 Apr. 2024
The point of this practice is pleasure, not pragmatism.
—Marian Bull, The Atlantic, 19 Apr. 2024
On a scale of one to ten, how much pleasure is in your life?
—USA TODAY, 19 Apr. 2024
But for me — to borrow a phrase from the absolute legend Lemmy — the pleasure is to play.
—Elizabeth Lopatto, The Verge, 18 Apr. 2024
At one point in the book, Beckham says there is real pleasure to be had in looking down at your feet and seeing some fabulous heels.
—Daniel Rodgers, Vogue, 17 Apr. 2024
Amazon was in the No. 2 spot, which must have been a great pleasure to you as somebody who worked at Amazon.
—Fortune Editors, Fortune, 17 Apr. 2024
Jennifer Hussein, Allure, 3 Mar. 2024
Why this is nuts: Nothing, beside the lingering image that the two geezers are going to get wasted and then pleasure themselves.
—Stephen Rodrick, Variety, 21 Nov. 2023
Motherhood changed my relationship to thrill-seeking, to pleasure.
—Jia Tolentino, The New Yorker, 27 Sep. 2023
Read the full Sagittarius Daily Horoscope Capricorn (December 21 - January 19)
Making play and pleasure your priority?
—USA TODAY, 5 Sep. 2023
In this sketch, Thede plays a woman visiting her childhood home over the holidays who attempts to pleasure herself without judgment from the photo of her grandparents on the bedside table or the stare of her old plush bear.
—Angelique Jackson, Variety, 22 Aug. 2023
Self-medicating by eating is all in the same wheelhouse of that behavior, a cycle of risk, reward, risk, reward, pleasure me, pleasure me.
—Kyle Buchanan, New York Times, 1 Mar. 2023
What poured out of Fisher and Gage was a raucous comedy about a happy-ending masseuse hired to pleasure a deeply repressed blue blood who has spent his life feigning heterosexuality.
—Matthew Jacobs, Vulture, 11 Mar. 2023
In which a scientist gets female volunteers to pleasure themselves in an fMRI scanner, bound by restraints.
—Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 14 Nov. 2010
Noun
It can be enjoyed straight over ice or mixed as desired, with all the pleasure of a traditional spirit but none of the hangover.
—Saveur Editors, Saveur, 25 Apr. 2024
All the pleasure concentrated not in the butter, or even the chocolate for which the shop is known, but in the mellow, nutty flavor of the flour.
—Ruby Tandoh, The New Yorker, 24 Apr. 2024
The August Wilson Theater, done up like the Kit Kat Club for a bracing, high-style, Broadway revival that opened there Sunday, has indeed been transformed into a house of pleasure.
—Naveen Kumar, Variety, 22 Apr. 2024
The point of this practice is pleasure, not pragmatism.
—Marian Bull, The Atlantic, 19 Apr. 2024
On a scale of one to ten, how much pleasure is in your life?
—USA TODAY, 19 Apr. 2024
But for me — to borrow a phrase from the absolute legend Lemmy — the pleasure is to play.
—Elizabeth Lopatto, The Verge, 18 Apr. 2024
At one point in the book, Beckham says there is real pleasure to be had in looking down at your feet and seeing some fabulous heels.
—Daniel Rodgers, Vogue, 17 Apr. 2024
Amazon was in the No. 2 spot, which must have been a great pleasure to you as somebody who worked at Amazon.
—Fortune Editors, Fortune, 17 Apr. 2024
Verb
This device pleasures your clit at the same time with three vibration intensities and seven patterns.
—Jennifer Hussein, Allure, 3 Mar. 2024
Why this is nuts: Nothing, beside the lingering image that the two geezers are going to get wasted and then pleasure themselves.
—Stephen Rodrick, Variety, 21 Nov. 2023
Motherhood changed my relationship to thrill-seeking, to pleasure.
—Jia Tolentino, The New Yorker, 27 Sep. 2023
Read the full Sagittarius Daily Horoscope Capricorn (December 21 - January 19)
Making play and pleasure your priority?
—USA TODAY, 5 Sep. 2023
In this sketch, Thede plays a woman visiting her childhood home over the holidays who attempts to pleasure herself without judgment from the photo of her grandparents on the bedside table or the stare of her old plush bear.
—Angelique Jackson, Variety, 22 Aug. 2023
Self-medicating by eating is all in the same wheelhouse of that behavior, a cycle of risk, reward, risk, reward, pleasure me, pleasure me.
—Kyle Buchanan, New York Times, 1 Mar. 2023
What poured out of Fisher and Gage was a raucous comedy about a happy-ending masseuse hired to pleasure a deeply repressed blue blood who has spent his life feigning heterosexuality.
—Matthew Jacobs, Vulture, 11 Mar. 2023
In which a scientist gets female volunteers to pleasure themselves in an fMRI scanner, bound by restraints.
—Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 14 Nov. 2010
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pleasure.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near pleasure
Cite this Entry
“Pleasure.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pleasure. Accessed 30 Apr. 2024.
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