Definition of 'treat'
Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular present tense treats, present participle treating, past tense, past participle treated
1. transitive verb
If you treat someone or something in a particular way, you behave toward them or deal with them
in that way.
2. transitive verb
When a doctor or nurse treats a patient or an illness, he or she tries to make the patient well again.
3. transitive verb
If something is treated with a particular substance, the substance is put onto or into it in order to clean it,
to protect it, or to give it special properties.
4. transitive verb
If you treat someone to something special which they will enjoy, you buy it or arrange it for them.
5. countable noun
If you give someone a treat, you buy or arrange something special for them which they will enjoy.
Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
British English pronunciation
American English pronunciation
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Word Frequency
treat in American English
verb intransitive
1.
to discuss terms (with a person or for a settlement); negotiate
2.
to deal with a subject in writing or speech; speak or write (of)
verb transitive
4.
to deal with (a subject) in writing, speech, music, painting, etc., esp. in a specified manner or style
5.
to act or behave toward (a person, animal, etc.) in a specified manner
7.
a.
to pay for the food, drink, entertainment, etc. of (another or others)
b.
to provide with something that pleases
8.
to subject to some process or to some substance in processing, as in a chemical procedure
noun
10.
a meal, drink, entertainment, etc. paid for by someone else
11.
anything that gives great pleasure
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Derived forms
treatability (ˌtreataˈbility)
noun
treatable (ˈtreatable)
adjective
treater (ˈtreater)
noun
Word origin
ME treten < OFr traiter, to handle, meddle, treat < L tractare, freq. of trahere, to drawWord Frequency
treat in American English
(trit)
transitive verb
1.
to act or behave toward (a person) in some specified way
to treat someone with respect
2.
to consider or regard in a specified way, and deal with accordingly
to treat a matter as unimportant
4.
to deal with in speech or writing; discuss
5.
to deal with, develop, or represent artistically, esp. in some specified manner or
style
to treat a theme realistically
6.
to subject to some agent or action in order to bring about a particular result
to treat a substance with an acid
7.
to entertain; give hospitality to
He treats diplomats in the lavish surroundings of his country estate
intransitive verb
9.
to deal with a subject in speech or writing; discourse
a work that treats of the caste system in India
10.
to give, or bear the expense of, a treat
Is it my turn to treat?
11.
to carry on negotiations with a view to a settlement; discuss terms of settlement; negotiate
noun
12.
14.
the act of treating
15.
one's turn to treat
Most material © 2005, 1997, 1991 by Penguin Random House LLC. Modified entries © 2019
by Penguin Random House LLC and HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Derived forms
treater noun
Word origin
[1250–1300; ME treten (v.) ‹ OF tretier, traitier ‹ L tractāre to drag, handle, treat, freq. of trahere to drag. See tract1]Word Frequency
treat in British English
noun
1.
2.
3.
the act of treating
verb
6. (transitive)
to subject to a process or to the application of a substance
to treat photographic film with developer
7. (tr; often foll by to)
to provide (someone) (with) as a treat
he treated the children to a trip to the zoo
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Derived forms
treatable (ˈtreatable) adjective
treater (ˈtreater)
noun
Word origin
C13: from Old French tretier, from Latin tractāre to manage, from trahere to drag
Examples of 'treat' in a sentence
treat
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treat
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In other languages
treat
British English: treat
/triːt/ NOUN
If you give someone a treat, you buy or arrange something special for them which they will enjoy.
His mother had never yet failed to return from town without some special treat for him.
- American English: treat /ˈtrit/
- Arabic: يَدْفَعُ لِشَخْص
- Brazilian Portuguese: mimo
- Chinese: 款待
- Croatian: čašćenje
- Czech: dárek
- Danish: lille gave
- Dutch: traktatie
- European Spanish: gusto placer
- Finnish: mukava yllätys
- French: gâterie
- German: Sondervergnügen
- Greek: κέρασμα
- Italian: piacere
- Japanese: 歓待
- Korean: 대접 즐겁게 하다
- Norwegian: noe spesielt
- Polish: przyjemność
- European Portuguese: mimo
- Romanian: bucurie
- Russian: угощение
- Spanish: gusto placer
- Swedish: något extra gott
- Thai: การเลี้ยง, การให้ของ
- Turkish: birine ufak bir armağan alma
- Ukrainian: задоволення
- Vietnamese: sự thết đãi
British English: treat
/triːt/ VERB
If you treat someone or something in a particular way, you behave towards them in that way.
Stop treating me like a child.
- American English: treat /ˈtrit/
- Arabic: يُعَامِلُ
- Brazilian Portuguese: tratar
- Chinese: 款待
- Croatian: postupati s nekim
- Czech: zacházet s lidmi
- Danish: behandle
- Dutch: behandelen
- European Spanish: tratar
- Finnish: kohdella
- French: traiter
- German: behandeln
- Greek: μεταχειρίζομαι
- Italian: trattare
- Japanese: 扱う
- Korean: 취급하다
- Norwegian: behandle
- Polish: potraktować
- European Portuguese: tratar
- Romanian: a considera
- Russian: угощать
- Spanish: tratar
- Swedish: bjuda
- Thai: ปฏิบัติต่อ
- Turkish: davranmak muamele
- Ukrainian: ставитися
- Vietnamese: đối xử
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