1
: desire, inclination
wait upon his pleasure—
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare2
: a state of gratification
3
a
: sensual gratification
b
: frivolous amusement
4
: a source of delight or joy
pleasured; pleasuring
ˈplezh-riŋ 
ˈplāzh-;
ˈple-zhə-,
ˈplā-
Synonyms
Examples of pleasure in a Sentence
Noun
I paint for the sheer pleasure of it.
His grandparents took great pleasure in seeing him graduate from college.
Is this trip for business or pleasure?
It is a special pleasure for me to be here with you today.
Now I can enjoy the simple pleasures of life, like spending time with my family.
Verb
a wine that is sure to pleasure even the most discriminating palate
Recent Examples on the Web
Laurie Werner, Forbes, 20 Nov. 2024
McCarthy never got the same pleasure of signing on long-term.
—Scott Thompson, Fox News, 19 Nov. 2024
Andy Swift, TVLine, 2 Oct. 2024
Libra season kicks off today, making play and pleasure your main focal point.
—USA TODAY, 22 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for pleasure 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
Once inside, though, the experience is pure pleasure.
—Laurie Werner, Forbes, 20 Nov. 2024
McCarthy never got the same pleasure of signing on long-term.
—Scott Thompson, Fox News, 19 Nov. 2024
Verb
Like, worse than the time Lois accused the nurse of pleasuring her comatose husband.
—Andy Swift, TVLine, 2 Oct. 2024
Libra season kicks off today, making play and pleasure your main focal point.
—USA TODAY, 22 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for pleasure
Dictionary Entries Near pleasure
Cite this Entry
“Pleasure.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pleasure. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share