English dictionary

please Meaning & Definition

Q: What is the past tense of please?

The past tense of please is pleased. The present participle is pleasing.

/pliːz/

What Does Please Mean?

Please is used as a verb meaning To make happy or satisfy; to give pleasure to. It can also mean To desire; to will; to be pleased by. As an adverb, it means Used to make a polite request. As an interjection, it means Used as an affirmative to an offer.

Please at a Glance

Part of speech	verb, adverb, interjection
Pronunciation	//pliːz//
Syllables	1
Synonyms	delight
Antonyms	displease
Verb forms	pleases, pleasing, pleased

Please Definition (Verb)

To make happy or satisfy; to give pleasure to.
Her presentation pleased the executives.
To desire; to will; to be pleased by.
Just do as you please.

Please as an Adverb

Used to make a polite request.
Please, pass the bread.

Please as an Interjection

Used as an affirmative to an offer.
May I help you? —(Yes,) please.
An expression of annoyance, impatience, or exasperation.
Oh, please, do we have to hear that again?

Interjection

Said as a request to repeat information.
Customer while ordering: Can I get a [unintelligible]? Restaurant employee: Please?

Synonyms of Please

delight

Please synonyms and antonyms →

Antonyms of Please

displease

Please in a Sentence

Her presentation pleased the executives.

I'm pleased to see you've been behaving yourself.

Our new range of organic foods is sure to please.

Just do as you please.

He doesn't think, he just says whatever he pleases.

Please, pass the bread.

Would you please sign this form?

Could you tell me the time, please?

May I take your order, please?

Q: Should I call him to confirm? A: Please do.

May I help you? —(Yes,) please.

D'you mind if I open the window? —Please do.

Oh, please, do we have to hear that again?

So it's safe to let a 10-year-old use a gun? Please.

So now I have to go back there a third time? Please!

Please with that damn harmonica!

Please with all the ads, I just want to watch the movie.

Customer while ordering: Can I get a [unintelligible]? Restaurant employee: Please?

Word Forms & Grammar

please (third-person singular simple present pleases, present participle pleasing, simple past and past participle pleased)

please (not comparable)

please

Words That Rhyme With Please

Origin of Please

Origin 1: From Middle English plesen, plaisen, borrowed from Old French plaise, conjugated form of plaisir or plaire, from Latin placeō (“to please, to seem good”),[1] from the Proto-Indo-European *pleHk- (“pleasingness, permission”). In this sense, displaced native Old English līcian, whence Modern English like.

Origin 2: Short for if you please, an intransitive, ergative form taken from if it please you[1][2] which is a calque of French s'il vous plaît, which replaced pray. If it please you is a present subjunctive form, but most current uses of please are not parsed that way.

Origin 3: Semantic loan from German bitte (“please; excuse me”).[3][4]

How Do You Say Please?

Please is pronounced //pliːz// and has 1 syllable.

Frequently Asked Questions About Please

Is please a verb or an adverb?

Please is mainly used as a verb, but it can also be used as an adverb and an interjection.

What is another word for please?

You can replace please with words such as delight. See the full list of please synonyms and antonyms.

What is the opposite of please?

The opposite of please is displease.

What is the past tense of please?

The past tense of please is pleased. The present participle is pleasing.