1
: desire, inclination
… wait upon his pleasure …—
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare2
: a state of gratification
I paint for the pleasure of it.
She takes pleasure in helping others.
"Would you do this for me?" "With pleasure." [=I would be happy to do it]
3
a
: sensual gratification
b
: frivolous amusement
business or pleasure
4
: a source of delight or joy
It's been a pleasure working with you.
"Thanks for your help." "It was my pleasure." [=I was happy to help]
Now I can enjoy the simple pleasures of life, like being with my family.
see also guilty pleasure
pleasured; pleasuring
ˈplezh-riŋ 
ˈplāzh-;
ˈple-zhə-,
ˈplā-
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 Web
Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 3 Nov. 2025
Hunter has set himself a very fine amount of emotional and physical space within which to work, and there’s pleasure in watching Metcalf and Stock negotiate the tiptoeing way Sarah and Ethan grow closer.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 31 Oct. 2025
Brian Moylan, Vulture, 10 Oct. 2025
The series also shows Ed pleasuring himself while wearing women’s undergarments.
—Lexi Carson, HollywoodReporter, 6 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pleasure
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
On and off the clock, keeping business separate from pleasure is getting difficult, as newcomer Angelica Jensen admits in the teaser.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 3 Nov. 2025
Hunter has set himself a very fine amount of emotional and physical space within which to work, and there’s pleasure in watching Metcalf and Stock negotiate the tiptoeing way Sarah and Ethan grow closer.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 31 Oct. 2025
Verb
Maybe not for the straight women on these couches who are only engaging in three to eight minutes of missionary and then turning the light out, but there are all sorts of things people can do to pleasure each other.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 10 Oct. 2025
The series also shows Ed pleasuring himself while wearing women’s undergarments.
—Lexi Carson, HollywoodReporter, 6 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pleasure
Cite this Entry
“Pleasure.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pleasure. Accessed 10 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share