ill-treat

American  

[il-treet] / ˈɪlˈtrit /

verb (used with object)

1. to treat badly; maltreat; abuse.

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ill-treat British  

verb

1. (tr) to behave cruelly or harshly towards; misuse; maltreat

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Other Word Forms

• ill-treatment
  noun

Etymology

Origin of ill-treat

First recorded in 1695–1705

Example Sentences

In these quotations, to vanquish foes and destroy enemies does not mean to ill-treat others in any way, or even to seek victory over them in a traditional sense.

From Washington Post • Mar. 11, 2019

As such, the latter revered him and did not ill-treat him in their own country, where they carried him.

From The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume 29 of 55 Explorations by Early Navigators, Descriptions of the Islands and Their Peoples, Their History and Records of the Catholic Missions, as Related in Contemporaneous Books and Manuscripts, Showing the Political, Economic, Commercial and Religious Conditions of Those Islands from Their Earliest Relations with European Nations to the Close of the Nineteenth Century by Various

According to English law, if any person shall cruelly beat, ill-treat, overdrive, abuse, or torture any domestic animal, he shall forfeit a sum not exceeding �5 for every such offence.

From The New Gresham Encyclopedia. Vol. 1 Part 2 Amiel to Atrauli by Various

They ceased to ill-treat their prisoner, and even showed a disposition to talk.

From The Fire Trumpet A Romance of the Cape Frontier by Mitford, Bertram

"Seigneur," answered Marceline trembling, "they wanted to ill-treat poor Yvon."

From The Infant's Skull Or The End of the World. A Tale of the Millennium by Sue, Eugène