Adjacent Words

Please definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

PLEASE, v.t. s as z. [L. placere, placeo.]
1. To excite agreeable sensations or emotions in; to gratify; as, to please the taste; to please the mind.
Their words pleased Hamor, and Shechem, Hamor's son. Genesis 34.
Leave such to trifle with more grace than ease,
Whom folly pleases, and whose follies please.
2. To satisfy; to content.
What next I bring shall please
Thy wish exactly to thy heart's desire.
3. To prefer; to have satisfaction in; to like; to choose.
Many of our most skilful painters were pleased or recommend this author to me.
To be pleased in or with, to approve; to have complacency in. Matthew 3.
To please God, is to love his character and law and perform his will, so as to become the object of his approbation.
They that are in the flesh cannot please God. Romans 8.
PLEASE, v.i. s as z. To like; to choose; to prefer.
Spirits, freed from mortal laws, with ease
Assume what sexes and what shapes they please.
1. To condescend; to comply; to be pleased; a word of ceremony.
Please you, lords,
In sight of both our battles we may meet.
The first words that I learnt were, to express my desire that he would please to give me my liberty.
Please expresses less gratification than delight.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

v
1: give pleasure to or be pleasing to; "These colors please the senses"; "a pleasing sensation" [syn: please, delight] [ant: displease]
2: be the will of or have the will (to); "he could do many things if he pleased"
3: give satisfaction; "The waiters around her aim to please" adv
1: used in polite request; "please pay attention"

Merriam Webster's

I. verb (pleased; pleasing) Etymology: Middle English plesen, from Anglo-French plaisir, pleisir, pleire, from Latin plac?re; akin to Latin placare to placate and perhaps to Greek plak-, plax flat surface — more at fluke Date: 14th century 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> • pleaser noun II. adverb Date: 1667 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>

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v. 1 tr. (also absol.) be agreeable to; make glad; give pleasure to (the gift will please them; anxious to please). 2 tr. (in passive) a (foll. by to + infin.) be glad or willing to (am pleased to help). b (often foll. by about, at, with) derive pleasure or satisfaction (from). 3 tr. (with it as subject; usu. foll. by to + infin.) be the inclination or wish of (it did not please them to attend). 4 intr. think fit; have the will or desire (take as many as you please). 5 tr. (short for may it please you) used in polite requests (come in, please). Phrases and idioms: if you please if you are willing, esp. iron. to indicate unreasonableness (then, if you please, we had to pay). pleased as Punch see PUNCH(4). please oneself do as one likes. Derivatives: pleased adj. pleasing adj. pleasingly adv. Etymology: ME plaise f. OF plaisir f. L placere

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Please Please, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Pleased; p. pr. & vb. n. Pleasing.] [OE. plesen, OF. plaisir, fr. L. placere, akin to placare to reconcile. Cf. Complacent, Placable, Placid, Plea, Plead, Pleasure.] 1. To give pleasure to; to excite agreeable sensations or emotions in; to make glad; to gratify; to content; to satisfy. I pray to God that it may plesen you. --Chaucer. What next I bring shall please thee, be assured. --Milton. 2. To have or take pleasure in; hence, to choose; to wish; to desire; to will. Whatsoever the Lord pleased, that did he. --Ps. cxxxv. 6. A man doing as he wills, and doing as he pleases, are the same things in common speech. --J. Edwards. 3. To be the will or pleasure of; to seem good to; -- used impersonally. ``It pleased the Father that in him should all fullness dwell.'' --Col. i. 19. To-morrow, may it please you. --Shak. To be pleased in or with, to have complacency in; to take pleasure in. To be pleased to do a thing, to take pleasure in doing it; to have the will to do it; to think proper to do it. --Dryden.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Please Please, v. i. 1. To afford or impart pleasure; to excite agreeable emotions. What pleasing scemed, for her now pleases more. --Milton. For we that live to please, must please to live. --Johnson. 2. To have pleasure; to be willing, as a matter of affording pleasure or showing favor; to vouchsafe; to consent. Heavenly stranger, please to taste These bounties. --Milton. That he would please 8give me my liberty. --Swift.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(pleases, pleasing, pleased) Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English. 1. You say please when you are politely asking or inviting someone to do something. Can you help us please?... Would you please open the door?... Please come in... 'May I sit here?'—'Please do.'... Can we have the bill please? ADV: ADV with cl [politeness] 2. You say please when you are accepting something politely. 'Tea?'—'Yes, please.'... 'You want an apple with your cheese?'—'Please.' ADV: ADV with cl, ADV as reply [formulae] 3. You can say please to indicate that you want someone to stop doing something or stop speaking. You would say this if, for example, what they are doing or saying makes you angry or upset. Please, Mary, this is all so unnecessary... CONVENTION [feelings] 4. You can say please in order to attract someone's attention politely. Children in particular say 'please' to attract the attention of a teacher or other adult. (mainly BRIT) Please sir, can we have some more?... CONVENTION [politeness] 5. If someone or something pleases you, they make you feel happy and satisfied. More than anything, I want to please you... Much of the food pleases rather than excites... It pleased him to talk to her. VERB: V n, V, it V n to-inf 6. You use please in expressions such as as she pleases, whatever you please, and anything he pleases to indicate that someone can do or have whatever they want. Women should be free to dress and act as they please... Isabel can live where she pleases. PHRASE: PHR after v 7. If you please is sometimes used as a very polite and formal way of attracting someone's attention or of asking them to do something. Ladies and gentlemen, if you please. Miss Taylor's going to play for us... CONVENTION [politeness] 8. You say 'please yourself' to indicate in a rather rude way that you do not mind or care whether the person you are talking to does a particular thing or not. (INFORMAL) 'Do you mind if I wait?' I asked. Melanie shrugged: 'Please yourself.' CONVENTION [feelings]

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. v. a. 1. Gratify, delight, gladden, rejoice, make glad, give joy to, take one's fancy, tickle one's fancy, do one's heart good. 2. Satisfy, content. 3. Seem good to, be one's will. II. v. n. 1. Give pleasure, gain approbation. 2. Like, prefer, choose. 3. Condescend, comply, be pleased.

Moby Thesaurus

I beg you, amuse, be good enough, cater to, cheer, choose, choose rather, coddle, content, cosset, delectate, delight, desire, divert, do, elect, entertain, favor, give pleasure, give way to, gladden, go over big, gratify, happify, have a bias, have preference, have rather, have the goodness, hit the spot, honor before, humor, if you please, indulge, interest, lean towards, like, like better, make a hit, mollycoddle, oblige, opt, overjoy, pamper, pleasure, pray, pray do, prefer, prefer to, prithee, rather, regale, rejoice, satisfy, see fit, set before, spoil, suit, think best, think fit, think proper, tickle, titillate, want, will, will you, wish, yield to