please

verb

\ ˈplēz

pleased; pleasing

Definition of please

(Entry 1 of 2)

intransitive verb

1 : to afford or give pleasure or satisfaction

2 : like, wish do as you please

3 archaic : to have the kindness will you please to enter the carriage— Charles Dickens

transitive verb

1 : to give pleasure to : gratify

2 : to be the will or pleasure of may it please Your Majesty

please

adverb

Definition of please (Entry 2 of 2)

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

Other Words from please Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about please

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Synonyms & Antonyms for please

Synonyms: Verb

agree (with), content, delight, feast, gas [slang], glad [archaic], gladden, gratify, pleasure, rejoice, satisfy, suit, warm

Antonyms: Verb

displease

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 Web: Verb

The selections include a biopic about Van Gogh, a heist movie, a crowd-pleasing historical comedy, and a wickedly funny tale of palace intrigue. — Alissa Wilkinson, Vox, "8 movies out this month that are looking for Oscar season glory," 1 Nov. 2018 Isaac Cohen, Sam Rolfes, Monty Marsh Earlier this year, Google made a seemingly crowd-pleasing tweak to its Chrome browser and created a crisis for web game developers. — Adi Robertson, The Verge, "Google is delaying a change that will break old web games — again," 15 Oct. 2018 Stay: The Merrion As Brette predicted, this glamorous hotel—four restored Georgian townhouses with an exquisite interior garden and crowd-pleasing 60-foot swimming pool—was the perfect perch. — Amy Tara Koch, Condé Nast Traveler, "How to Plan a Family Trip to Ireland," 12 July 2018 Unfortunately, the lady did not please; the king could not make love to her. — Allan Massie, WSJ, "‘Thomas Cromwell: A Revolutionary Life’ Review: The King’s Fixer," 2 Nov. 2018 That wouldn't please broadband industry lobbyists who have been fighting municipal efforts to expand public broadband options. — Jon Brodkin, Ars Technica, "ISPs say they can’t expand broadband unless gov’t gives them more money," 16 Aug. 2018 Admissions officers at selective colleges can never please everyone. — Jay Mathews, Washington Post, "Harvard interviewer confesses: I think my school had anti-Asian bias," 25 June 2018 Claiming that a woman is certainly a gold digger reaffirms a worldview pleasing to those who’d like to believe that men are the ones with the real power, and, if a woman ever exerts power, it’s been generously bestowed on her by a man. — Jennifer Wright, Harper's BAZAAR, "Kamala Harris Is Already Being Called a Prostitute," 29 Jan. 2019 Products from the Starbucks x Ban.do holiday collection are sure to please your favorite coffee enthusiast, while every brand under the sun seems to be offering an array of versatile stocking stuffers for the hard-to-pin-down friends. — Tess Garcia, Teen Vogue, "Sephora is Selling Beauty Product Holiday Ornaments," 2 Dec. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'please.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.