please (pleases 3rd person present) (pleasing present participle) (pleased past tense & past participle )
1 adv You say please when you are politely asking or inviting someone to do something.
ADV with cl (politeness)
Can you help us please?..., Would you please open the door?..., Please come in..., `May I sit here?'<emdash10001`Please do.'..., Can we have the bill please?
2 adv You say please when you are accepting something politely.
ADV with cl, ADV as reply (formulae)
`Tea?'<emdash10001`Yes, please.'..., `You want an apple with your cheese?'—`Please.'
3 convention You can say please to indicate that you want someone to stop doing something or stop speaking. You would say this if, for example, what they are doing or saying makes you angry or upset., (feelings)
Please, Mary, this is all so unnecessary...
4 convention You can say please in order to attract someone's attention politely. Children in particular say `please' to attract the attention of a teacher or other adult.
(mainly BRIT, politeness)
Please sir, can we have some more?...
5 verb If someone or something pleases you, they make you feel happy and satisfied.
More than anything, I want to please you... V n
Much of the food pleases rather than excites... V
It pleased him to talk to her. it V n to-inf
6 You use please in expressions such as as she pleases, whatever you please, and anything he pleases to indicate that someone can do or have whatever they want.
as you please/whatever you please phrase PHR after v
Women should be free to dress and act as they please..., Isabel can live where she pleases.
7 If you please is sometimes used as a very polite and formal way of attracting someone's attention or of asking them to do something.
if you please convention
(politeness)
Ladies and gentlemen, if you please. Miss Taylor's going to play for us...
8 You say `please yourself' to indicate in a rather rude way that you do not mind or care whether the person you are talking to does a particular thing or not.
INFORMAL
please yourself convention
(feelings)
`Do you mind if I wait?' I asked. Melanie shrugged: `Please yourself.'
