tread

American  

[tred] / trɛd /

verb (used without object)

• treads,
  present (3rd person singular)
• trod,
  past participle,  past
• trodden,
  past participle
• treading
  present participle

1. to set down the foot or feet in walking; step; walk.

2. to step, walk, or trample so as to press, crush, or injure something (usually followed by on orupon ).

   to tread on a person's foot.

3. (of a male bird) to copulate.

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verb (used with object)

• treads,
  present (3rd person singular)
• trod,
  past participle,  past
• trodden,
  past participle
• treading
  present participle

1. to step or walk on, about, in, or along.

2. to trample or crush underfoot.

3. to form by the action of walking or trampling.

   to tread a path.

4. to treat with disdainful harshness or cruelty; crush; oppress.

5. to perform by walking or dancing.

   to tread a measure.

6. (of a male bird) to copulate with (a female bird).

noun

• treads
  plural

1. the action of treading, stepping, or walking.

2. the sound of footsteps.

3. manner of treading or walking.

4. a single step as in walking.

5. any of various things or parts on which a person or thing treads, stands, or moves.

6. the part of the under surface of the foot or of a shoe that touches the ground.

7. the horizontal upper surface of a step in a stair, on which the foot is placed.

8. the part of a wheel, tire, or runner that bears on the road, rail, etc.

9. the pattern raised on or cut into the face of a rubber tire.

10. Also caterpillar tread a metal tread on which a Caterpillar-style vehicle moves.

11. Railroads. that part of a rail in contact with the treads of wheels.

idioms

1. tread the boards, to act on the stage, especially professionally.

   He recalled the days when he had trod the boards.

2. tread water,

   1. Swimming. to maintain the body erect in the water with the head above the surface usually by a pumping up-and-down movement of the legs and sometimes the arms.

   2. Slang. to make efforts that maintain but do not further one's status, progress, or performance.

      He's just treading water here until he can find another job.

3. tread lightly / carefully / softly. see tread lightly.

4. tread on someone's toes / corns, to offend or irritate someone.

tread British  

/ trɛd /

verb

1. to walk or trample in, on, over, or across (something)

2. to crush or squash by or as if by treading

   to tread grapes

   to tread on a spider

3. to subdue or repress, as by doing injury (to)

   to tread on one's inferiors

4. (tr) to do by walking or dancing

   to tread a measure

5. (tr) (of a male bird) to copulate with (a female bird)

6. to proceed with delicacy or tact

7. to offend or insult someone, esp by infringing on his sphere of action, etc

8. to stay afloat in an upright position by moving the legs in a walking motion

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noun

1. a manner or style of walking, dancing, etc

   a light tread

2. the act of treading

3. the top surface of a step in a staircase

4. the outer part of a tyre or wheel that makes contact with the road, esp the grooved surface of a pneumatic tyre

5. the part of a rail that wheels touch

6. the part of a shoe that is generally in contact with the ground

7. vet science an injury to a horse's foot caused by the opposite foot, or the foot of another horse

8. a rare word for footprint

tread More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing tread

• fools rush in where angels fear to tread
• step (tread) on one's toes

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• overtread
  noun
• subtread
  noun
• treader
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• treads
  plural

Participles

• treading
  present
• trod
  past
• trodden
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• tread
  simple
• treads
  simple
• have trod
  perfect
• have trodden
  perfect
• has trod
  perfect
• has trodden
  perfect
• am treading
  progressive
• are treading
  progressive
• is treading
  progressive
• have been treading
  perfect progressive
• has been treading
  perfect progressive

Past

• trod
  simple
• had trod
  perfect
• had trodden
  perfect
• was treading
  progressive
• were treading
  progressive
• had been treading
  perfect progressive

Future

• will tread
  simple
• will have trod
  perfect
• will have trodden
  perfect
• will be treading
  progressive
• will have been treading
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of tread

before 900; (v.) Middle English treden, Old English tredan; cognate with Old Frisian treda, Old Saxon tredan, Dutch treden, German treten; akin to Old Norse trotha, Gothic trudan; (noun) Middle English tred footprint, derivative of the v.

Explanation

When you tread on the earth, you walk on it. The next time your pal thinks you have it too easy, you might ask him, “Why don’t you tread in my shoes for a day?” Tread usually implies stepping with force, but it can also simply mean placing your feet, one after the other, on the ground. You might try to tread lightly on the moss in the backyard so you don't damage it. Tread is also a noun that means the mark that a tire leaves on the ground, or the actual grooves on the tire. You might be relieved that the tread marks at the crime scene didn't match your brother's truck after all.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

tread treads trod trodden treading

“We are trying to at least tread water.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 2026

I could locate no source for the middle mystery, but its theatrical setting is a favorite of such series; any that last long enough will eventually tread those boards.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026

What I would say is the whole Spirit of Cricket question is an incredibly difficult path to tread.

From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026

That metric is currently signaling that investors should tread carefully, Opsal said in a phone interview Monday.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026

The floorboards creaked under his tread as he paced up and down outside the locked door.

From "Inkheart" by Cornelia Funke

Because their iconic treads do look like bubbles, and who wouldn’t want to walk on that?

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026

"A SnoCat team was also launched," the sheriff said, referring to the vehicles that use treads to move in the snow, and are more commonly found grooming snow at ski resorts.

From BBC ● Feb. 17, 2026

Instead of tech stocks rising broadly, you might see chip-maker stocks start to heat up, or perhaps gold stocks may outperform while the broader commodities sector treads water.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 4, 2026

The parade this Saturday is said to cost $45 million, not counting the expense of disrupting much of the city for four days and repairing the damage done by tank treads.

From Slate ● Jun. 11, 2025

The stair treads seemed to crumple under his weight and the porch planks squealed as he crossed them.

From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck

In the Himalayan republic of some 30 million people, overshadowed by giant neighbours India and China, Oli previously trod a fine balance between the rivals.

From Barron's ● Feb. 16, 2026

Katherine Mansfield could write wonderful lines such as: “The men walked like scissors; the women trod like cats.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 30, 2026

Asian markets trod water Thursday as euphoria over the end of a record US government shutdown petered, with focus back on Federal Reserve interest rates and tech bubble worries.

From Barron's ● Nov. 13, 2025

Midfielder McTominay trod the same path last summer by escaping the chaos of United in moving to Naples and the 28-year-old instantly became a cult hero, netting 12 goals to inspire their title success.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2025

It took three more underwater renditions of the egg’s song before Harry had it memorized; then he trod water for a while, thinking hard, while Myrtle sat and watched him.

From "Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire" by J. K. Rowling

But when he joined the Reds in 2017, he was all too aware of the legacy of some great Scots who had trodden the same path before him.

From BBC ● May 23, 2026

“We’ll likely follow the same path we’ve trodden in the United States, and so it will begin with a commercial footprint.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 15, 2026

Seoul has for decades trodden a fine line between China, its top trading partner, and the United States, its chief defence guarantor.

From Barron's ● Jan. 4, 2026

This pathway is now so well trodden as to have become a trope: the male feminist who deeply, appallingly wasn’t.

From Slate ● Jan. 17, 2025

As he went on, I saw the pansies spill from his gloved hand and fall to the ground, where they were trodden by the feet of many horses and men.

From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein

He spent two years operating the dozer in the landfill, where treading uneven ground can be physically punishing work.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026

It’s all so Clippers, to have lined up this move that will keep them afloat, just treading water.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026

"There is a sense that the candidates are treading carefully to avoid offending the US and other veto powers."

From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026

The S&P 500 has been treading water for more than a month now, but beneath the surface of the U.S. equity market, big changes are taking shape.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 16, 2026

Harry walked over to the bed, openmouthed, treading on a few loose pages of Travels with Trolls.

From "Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets" by J. K. Rowling

Related Words

• squash
• step on
• trample