pleasure

play

noun plea·sure \ ˈple-zhər , ˈplā- \

Definition of pleasure

1 :desire, inclination

wait upon his pleasure
—William Shakespeare

2 :a state of gratification

3 a :sensual gratification

b :frivolous amusement

4 :a source of delight or joy

See pleasure defined for English-language learners

See pleasure defined for kids

Examples of pleasure in a Sentence

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.

Recent Examples of pleasure from the Web

Because zebrafish and humans share the same opioid receptor in their brains, as well as neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin that signal pleasure and reward, the team hopes to use them to screen for new treatments for opioid addiction.

— emily underwood, Science | AAAS, "Tropical fish fiend for opioids, too," 25 Aug. 2017
One of my favorite guilty pleasures is watching random fashion videos on YouTube.

— sarah spellings, The Cut, "YouTube Suckered Me Into Buying These Big Boho Glasses," 15 Aug. 2017
Volt by JO: This is a strong clitoral gel that causes a buzzing and tingling sensation that is supposed to enhance your pleasure.

— emily morse, Glamour, "6 Mind-Blowing Toys for Nipple Play," 13 Aug. 2017
In fact, the château’s previous incarnation as a pleasure palace had been all but forgotten.

— ben ryder howe, Town & Country, "This Château on the French Riviera Was Once a Playground for the Rich, Famous, and Royal," 9 Aug. 2017
This perennial favorite provides years of pleasure with minimal care.

— dennis patton, kansascity, "Time to divide the iris," 4 Aug. 2017
The former pleasure cruiser was 180 feet long, with paddle wheels on both sides of its hull.

— lorraine boissoneault, Smithsonian, "The True Story of Dunkirk, As Told Through the Heroism of the “Medway Queen”," 19 July 2017
Mission Bay’s a huge jigsaw puzzle of aquatic pleasures.

— logan jenkins, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Reserving parking places is wrong, but is it illegal?," 18 July 2017
In these movies, the issue comes down to cinematic pleasure and its discontents.

— armond white, National Review, "Girls Trip and Bronx Gothic: Two Visions of Post-Obama Black Empowerment," 14 July 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of pleasure

Middle English plesure, alteration of plesir, from Anglo-French plaisir, from plaisir to please

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

pleasure Synonyms

pleasure

verb

Definition of pleasure

pleasured; pleasuring play \ˈplezh-riŋ, ˈplāzh-; ˈple-zhə-, ˈplā-\

transitive verb

1 :to give pleasure to :gratify

2 :to give sexual pleasure to

intransitive verb

1 :to take pleasure :delight

2 :to seek pleasure

Examples of pleasure in a Sentence

a wine that is sure to pleasure even the most discriminating palate

Recent Examples of pleasure from the Web

After all, there’s room for only one man in this administration who has the ability to pleasure himself.

— frank scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, "Critic's Notebook: The Mooch Admits He Made an "Unforced Error" in First TV Interview," 13 Aug. 2017

First Known Use of pleasure

1537

pleasure Synonyms

Synonyms

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

Antonyms

displease

Related Words

appease, mollify, pacify, placate, soothe; assuage, quench, sate, satiate; excite, tickle, titillate; amuse, divert, entertain, treat; captivate, charm; galvanize, thrill; calm, comfort; cater (to), humor, indulge; coddle, mollycoddle, pamper, spoil

Near Antonyms

aggravate, annoy, bother, bug, chafe, cross, exasperate, gall, get, grate, irk, irritate, nettle, peeve, perturb, pique, put out, ruffle, vex; anger, enrage, incense, inflame (also enflame), infuriate, madden, outrage, rankle, rile, roil, steam up; provoke, rouse; agitate, distress, disturb, fret, upset; harass, harry, pester; affront, insult, offend

PLEASURE Defined for English Language Learners

pleasure

play

noun

Definition of pleasure for English Language Learners

: a feeling of happiness, enjoyment, or satisfaction : a pleasant or pleasing feeling
: activity that is done for enjoyment
: something or someone that causes a feeling of happiness, enjoyment, or satisfaction

PLEASURE Defined for Kids

pleasure

play

noun plea·sure \ ˈple-zhər \

Definition of pleasure for Students

1 :a feeling of enjoyment or satisfaction

I take great pleasure in reading.

2 :recreation or enjoyment

Is the trip for business or pleasure?

3 :something that pleases or delights

It's been a pleasure working with you.

4 :a particular desire

What is your pleasure?

Synonym Discussion of pleasure

pleasure, joy, and enjoyment mean the agreeable feeling that accompanies getting something good or much wanted. pleasure is used for a feeling of happiness or satisfaction that may not be shown openly.