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please

adverb · verb

Simple meaning

Used to make a polite request.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

pleez
US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈpliz

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

adverb

  1. Used to make a polite request.

verb

  1. ambitransitive

    To make happy or satisfy; to give pleasure to.

  2. intransitiveergative

    To desire; to will; to be pleased by.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
A1 · Beginner (estimated)
Frequency
Very Common
Typical Use
Everyday English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: Used to make a polite request.

Used this way, please is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Slightly formal
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
No strong connotation
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use please

  • “The waiters around her aim to please.”verb
  • “These colors please the senses.”verb

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

Make / give

please noteplease letplease give

Other combinations

please sendplease tellplease writeplease comeplease see

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Inflected forms

Grammatical variations of the same word.

  • pleasedadjectiveInflected form

    Experiencing or manifesting pleasure.

  • pleasingadjectiveInflected form

    Giving pleasure and satisfaction.

  • pleasernounInflected form

    A pleasing entertainer.

Related Words

Connected to the same idea, not synonyms.

More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Antonyms

Sense: to make happy or satisfy

displease

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.