Definition of 'please'
Word forms: 3rd person singular present tense pleases, present participle pleasing, past tense, past participle pleased
1. adverb [ADV with cl]
2. adverb
3. convention
4. convention
5. transitive verb/intransitive verb
Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
British English pronunciation
American English pronunciation
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Word Frequency
please in American English
verb intransitive
▶ USAGE: Please is also used for politeness in requests or commands to mean “be obliging enough (to)”
[please sit down]3.
to be agreeable; give pleasure; satisfy
to aim to please
4.
to have the will or wish; like [to do as one pleases]
also used passively you are pleased to scoff
Idioms:
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Derived forms
pleaser (ˈpleaser)
noun
Word origin
ME plaisen < MFr plaisir < L placere, to please, akin to placidus, gentle, mild, placare, to calm, soothe < IE *plāk-, flat, smooth < base *plā- > plain1Word Frequency
please in American English
(pliz) (verb pleased, pleasing)
adverb
transitive verb
2.
to act to the pleasure or satisfaction of
to please the public
3.
to be the pleasure or will of
May it please your Majesty
intransitive verb
SYNONYMS 4. choose, desire, prefer.5.
to give pleasure or satisfaction; be agreeable
manners that please
Most material © 2005, 1997, 1991 by Penguin Random House LLC. Modified entries © 2019
by Penguin Random House LLC and HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Derived forms
pleasable adjective
pleasedly (ˈplizɪdli, ˈplizd-)
adverb
pleasedness
noun
pleaser
noun
Word origin
[1275–1325; (v.) ME plesen, plaisen ‹ MF plaisir ‹‹ L placēre to please, seem good ( see placid); the use of please with requests, etc., is presumably a reduction of the clause (it) please you may it please you, later reinforced by imper. use of intransit. please to be pleased, wish]Word Frequency
please in British English
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Derived forms
pleasable (ˈpleasable) adjective
pleased
adjective
pleaser (ˈpleaser)
noun
Word origin
C14 plese, from Old French plaisir, from Latin placēre to please, satisfy
Examples of 'please' in a sentence
please
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please
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In other languages
please
British English: please
VERB /pliːz/
If someone or something pleases you, they make you feel happy and satisfied.
More than anything, I want to please you.
British English: please!
/pliːz/ INTERJECTION
You say please! when you are politely asking or inviting someone to do something.
- American English: please! /ˈpliz/
- Arabic: أَرْجُوك
- Brazilian Portuguese: por favor!
- Chinese: 有请!
- Croatian: molim!
- Czech: prosím!
- Danish: vær så venlig at
- Dutch: alstublieft!
- European Spanish: ¡por favor!
- Finnish: olkaa hyvä!
- French: s’il vous plaît !
- German: bitte!
- Greek: παρακαλώ!
- Italian: prego!
- Japanese: お願い!
- Korean: 제발!
- Norwegian: Vær så snill!
- Polish: proszę!
- European Portuguese: por favor!
- Romanian: te rog!
- Russian: пожалуйста!
- Spanish: ¡por favor!
- Swedish: snälla!
- Thai: ได้โปรดเถิด
- Turkish: lütfen!
- Ukrainian: будь ласка!
- Vietnamese: làm ơn!
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Related terms of
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Source
Definition of please from the Collins English Dictionary
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