pleasure
Etymology

From Early Modern English pleasur, plesur, alteration (with ending accommodated to -ure) of Middle English plaisir, from Old French plesir, plaisir ("to please"), infinitive used as a noun, conjugated form of plaisir or plaire, from Latin placeō, from the Proto-Indo-European *pleh₂-k-.

Pronunciation
  • (RP) IPA: /ˈplɛʒə/
  • (America) enPR: plĕzhʹər, IPA: /ˈplɛʒɚ/
Noun

pleasure

  1. (uncountable) A state of being pleased or contented; gratification.
    Synonyms: delight, gladness, gratification, happiness, indulgence, satisfaction
    Antonyms: displeasure, pain
    He remembered with pleasure his home and family.
    I get a lot of pleasure from watching others work hard while I relax.
  2. (countable) A person, thing or action that causes enjoyment.
    Synonyms: delight, joy
    It was a pleasure to meet you.
    Having a good night's sleep is one of life's little pleasures.
    • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC ↗, Acts 25:9 ↗:
      Festus, willing to do the Jews a pleasure
    • 1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter VIII, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC ↗:
      The humor of my proposition appealed more strongly to Miss Trevor than I had looked for, and from that time forward she became her old self again; […] . Now she had come to look upon the matter in its true proportions, and her anticipation of a possible chance of teaching him a lesson was a pleasure to behold.
  3. (uncountable) Sexual enjoyment.
  4. (uncountable) One's preference.
    Synonyms: desire, fancy, want, will, wish
    What is your pleasure: coffee or tea?
  5. (formal, uncountable) The will or desire of someone or some agency in power.
    Synonyms: discretion
    to hold an office at pleasure: to hold it indefinitely until it is revoked
    to be imprisoned at Her Majesty's pleasure: to be imprisoned indefinitely
    at Congress's pleasure: whenever or as long as Congress desires
    • c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC ↗, [Act III, scene ii]:
      Use your pleasure; if your love do not persuade you to come, let not my letter.
    • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC ↗, Isaiah 48:14 ↗:
      He will do his pleasure on Babylon.
Translations Translations Translations Translations Translations Interjection
  1. pleased to meet you, "It's my pleasure"
Verb

pleasure (pleasures, present participle pleasuring; simple past and past participle pleasured)

  1. (transitive) To give or afford pleasure to.
    Synonyms: please, gratify
    • 1864, Alfred Tennyson, “Aylmer’s Field”, in Enoch Arden, &c., London: Edward Moxon & Co., […], →OCLC ↗, page 55 ↗:
      [H]e / [...] / Had tost his ball and flown his kite, and roll'd / His hoop to pleasure Edith, [...]
  2. (transitive) To give sexual pleasure to.
    Johnny pleasured Jackie with his mouth last night.
  3. (intransitive, dated) To take pleasure; to seek or pursue pleasure.
    to go pleasuring
Related terms Translations


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