Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- intransitive verb To give enjoyment, pleasure, or satisfaction to; make glad or contented.
- intransitive verb To be the will or desire of.
- intransitive verb To give satisfaction or pleasure; be agreeable.
- intransitive verb To have the will or desire; wish.
- adverb If it is your desire or pleasure; if you please. Used in polite requests.
- adverb Yes. Used in polite affirmative replies to offers.
from The Century Dictionary.
- To be agreeable to; suit; satisfy; seem good to: used impersonally, and followed by an object, originally dative, of the person: same as
like , I. - To excite agreeable sensations or emotions in; impart satisfaction, gratification, pleasure, or delight to; gratify; content.
- To think fit or have the complaisance or kindness; condescend; be good enough; be so kind as: an expression of courtesy, often used ironically.
- Synonyms To rejoice, gladden, make glad.
- To like; choose; think fit: as, do as you please.
- To give pleasure; win approval.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- transitive verb To give pleasure to; to excite agreeable sensations or emotions in; to make glad; to gratify; to content; to satisfy.
- transitive verb To have or take pleasure in; hence, to choose; to wish; to desire; to will.
- transitive verb To be the will or pleasure of; to seem good to; -- used impersonally.
- transitive verb to have complacency in; to take pleasure in.
- transitive verb to take pleasure in doing it; to have the will to do it; to think proper to do it.
- intransitive verb To afford or impart pleasure; to excite agreeable emotions.
- intransitive verb To have pleasure; to be willing, as a matter of affording pleasure or showing favor; to vouchsafe; to consent.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- verb transitive To make
happy orsatisfy ; to givepleasure . - verb intransitive, ergative To
desire ; towill ; to be pleased. - adverb Used to make a polite request.
- adverb Used as an affirmative to an offer.
- adverb An expression of
annoyance orimpatience .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- adverb used in polite request
- verb give satisfaction
- verb be the will of or have the will (to)
- verb give pleasure to or be pleasing to
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
Support
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Examples
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The opening chapter of the book here under discussion elicited a raspberry note to budding Scenarists: opening the text with camera directions gives the game away; and please please *please* no more references to that a-photograph-steals-the-soul riff, which I first happened upon in the Ur-text called...
TEV GIVEAWAY: BEAUTIFUL CHILDREN TEV 2008
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Great idea, but please *please* promise you won't do that again!
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So please, you whisper to yourself, trying to telepathically bully everyone else in the room--*please* don't ask any questions.
Katie's business trip, day 2 post-doc 2006
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I'm in Boston and I'm not going to phone you because I'm scared you'd hang up, so I'm just arriving at Wooly on Thursday, and for God's sake please, _please_ see me and hear me, my dear, darling friend.
Murder Crossed Boylan, Eleanor 1996
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Did Louise Littleton suspect, as I did, what she was to "please, _please_ ... hear" and its ramifications?
Murder Crossed Boylan, Eleanor 1996
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"Please, please, _please_!" they pleaded in chorus.
Madge Morton's Victory Amy D. V. Chalmers
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Harry, thus free to marry, had persuaded Rose to wait no longer; the event was to be on a Monday not quite two weeks ahead, and Norma was please, _please_, PLEASE to come down as soon as she could.
The Beloved Woman Kathleen Thompson Norris 1923
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"Oh please -- _please_!" was the girl's panic-stricken whisper.
The Visioning Susan Glaspell 1915
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"Julie," he whispered, "my darling, say you'll marry me -- please, _please_!"
Simon Called Peter Robert Keable 1907
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"Oh, please, don't when I ask you; _please_," says she.
Pan Knut Hamsun 1905
anydelirium commented on the word please
'"He simply said, 'Please. Please, I need to live.' Twas the please that caught my memory. I asked what was so important for him. 'True love,' he replied."' -Westley, from The Princess Bride
February 19, 2008