pleasure

noun plea·sure \ ˈple-zhər , ˈplā- \

|Updated on: 8 Jul 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

Examples: pleasure in a Sentence

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

And then allow yourself the enormous pleasure of picking apart the mysteries of Castle Rock well before any of your friends have managed to solve them.

— mary sollosi, EW.com, "Your July pop culture horoscope revealed: Whitney Houston, Comic-Con, and Sharp Objects," 29 June 2018
The answer was evident by the calm voice of Mark Neville, executive director of the Holiday Bowl, who has had the pleasure in recent years of inviting a pair of teams from Power Five conferences.

— kirk kenney, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Holiday Bowl hopes to maintain tie-ins with Big Ten, Pac-12 conferences," 8 June 2018
Had the pleasure of seeing so many outstanding athletes and great families.

— elizabeth marie himchak, Pomerado News, "Retiring PUSD middle school teachers reflect on their careers," 7 June 2018
Had the pleasure of playing with this man tonight, one of the best poker players around!

— michelle r. martinelli, For The Win, "Bryce Harper wore regular glasses in a game, and the internet loved them," 19 May 2018
Along with driving past the Pentagon and the White House, Jorde and Howells enjoyed simple pleasures like the mail call routine they had once enjoyed while being deployed.

— julie gallant, Ramona Sentinel, "Veterans return from Honor Flight trip," 16 May 2018
Jared Wilson, 19, told WTVR that the spontaneous sprint was his pleasure.

— Southern Living, "This Chick-fil-A Employee Chasing a Customer Who Left Without a Chicken Sandwich Is Our New Favorite Thing," 20 June 2018
None of this is to obscure from its very real pleasures.

— todd vanderwerff, Vox, "Is Westworld moving forward or going in circles?," 18 June 2018
For him, food, though a huge pleasure, was more importantly a storytelling tool, and a passport to the world at large.

— Washington Post, "For Bourdain, food was a storytelling tool — and a passport," 10 June 2018

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

in the meaning defined at sense 1

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

Hell, the only mistress he’d had, years ago, hadn’t figured out how to pleasure him like this.

— eliza thompson, Cosmopolitan, "Eloisa James Shares a Steamy Excerpt From Her New Book Too Wilde to Wed," 9 Jan. 2018
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

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

PLEASURE Defined for English Language Learners

pleasure

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

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.