placate
1 Americanverb (used with object)
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of placate1
First recorded in 1670–80; from Latin plācātus, past participle of plācāre “to quiet, calm, appease,” akin to placēre “to please”; cf. please
Origin of placate2
First recorded in 1625–35; apparently variant of placard
Explanation
If you placate someone, you stop them from being angry by giving them something or doing something that pleases them. If your dad is annoyed that you forgot to take out the trash, you might be able to placate him by doing the dishes. If your little sister is mad that the dog ate her favorite teddy bear, you could placate her by buying her an ice cream cone. A near synonym for placate is appease. The origin of placate is Latin placare, "to calm or soothe." The related Latin verb placere is the source of English please.
Vocabulary lists containing placate
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In that Peacock series, Elizabeth Banks’ Lindy Littlejohn is a best-selling author tired of diminishing her well-earned reputation to placate her husband, a bumbling scientist.
From Salon • Apr. 23, 2026
It sparked an all-hands-on-deck effort to placate Trump with a raft of trade proposals—and more.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 23, 2026
And she has one of the best laugh lines in the movie when she bats her eyes at the baddies and tries to placate them with, “You guys seem like good people.”
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 19, 2026
Captain Cristian Romero's flying last-minute header salvaged a point for the visitors at Turf Moor but it was not enough to placate frustrated fans.
From Barron's • Jan. 24, 2026
They’re just going through the motions, to placate me.
From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
