treasure
Americannoun
-
treasures
plural
-
wealth or riches stored or accumulated, especially in the form of precious metals, money, jewels, or plate.
- Synonyms:
- hoard
-
wealth, rich materials, or valuable things.
-
any thing or person greatly valued or highly prized.
This book was his chief treasure.
verb (used with object)
-
treasures,
present (3rd person singular)
-
treasured,
past participle, past
-
treasuring
present participle
noun
-
wealth and riches, usually hoarded, esp in the form of money, precious metals, or gems
-
a thing or person that is highly prized or valued
verb
-
to prize highly as valuable, rare, or costly
-
to store up and save; hoard
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
treasuresimple
-
treasuressimple
-
have treasuredperfect
-
has treasuredperfect
-
am treasuringprogressive
-
are treasuringprogressive
-
is treasuringprogressive
-
have been treasuringperfect progressive
-
has been treasuringperfect progressive
Past
-
treasuredsimple
-
had treasuredperfect
-
was treasuringprogressive
-
were treasuringprogressive
-
had been treasuringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of treasure
First recorded in 1125–75; (for the noun) Middle English tresor, from Old French, from Gallo-Romance trēsaurus (unrecorded), from Latin thēsaurus “storehouse, hoard” ( see thesaurus); verb derivative of the noun
Explanation
Treasure is usually associated with riches — gold, jewels, doubloons — the stuff contained in pirates' treasure chests. However, you can also treasure things with purely sentimental value — like your pet rock or your blankie. The English word treasure comes from the Old French tresor, both meaning "something of great worth." Still, the French tresor sounds so much more luxurious than the English treasure, and that form is the chosen name for an expensive perfume. Worth is relative, though. Going back further, we find that the Latin word for treasury is thesaurus, which is what a book of synonyms is called. Guess the ancients always understood the richness — and worth — of words.
Vocabulary lists containing treasure
Words Every Pirate Should Know
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Mother's Day Words: What Mothers Do
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Beowulf vocabulary
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
Trautman was born in 1907 in Mowrystown, Ohio, a small community where books were scarce, and he learned to treasure them from a young age.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
Winterich’s own children, she told me, treasure a recording of their great-grandmother reading a story, because they would never otherwise have heard what she sounded like.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 29, 2026
In a kind of treasure hunt, Crouch gathers all the acorns on private lands.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
Having only ever found a silver coin while metal detecting, Idris Thomas was shocked to strike gold - a late Bronze Age gold bracelet which has been declared treasure.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
“Think of it as a treasure hunt,” I say, though Emma has a point.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
She assured the committee, “I love the United States of America. I consider it the privilege of my career to help preserve its treasures and serve the American people.”
From Salon ● Sep. 25, 2026
Here, as in all the other galleries, looking closely is key to finding hidden treasures.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
Yet, while archaeologists have long focused on preserving these treasures, the people themselves were often forgotten.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 30, 2026
"As a performer he was unparalleled – witty, charming, unnerving, and deeply funny. We will always consider it one of our greatest treasures to have been part of Long John Silver's crew," it added.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
Following Penelope’s instructions, the children found three empty bushels and packed them full of treasures; the lighter objects they placed in the wicker basket, which was smaller and easier for Cassiopeia to carry.
From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood
That, combined with seas that have already risen over the past century due to human-caused climate change, puts California’s treasured coast in the oceanic crosshairs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
US President Donald Trump asked the Smithsonian Institution on Friday to install statues of George Washington, in his latest bid to reshape the treasured museum and research complex.
From Barron's ● Sep. 12, 2026
Kyiv's Pochaina second-hand book market was also struck, wiping out hundreds of individual stalls and countless treasured tomes.
From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026
“I will continue to fight for this treasured national monument.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
Maria had cut squares from her treasured gift-wrapping paper and used them to wrap Matt’s taffy.
From "The House of the Scorpion" by Nancy Farmer
"I hope you can now move on with your life, remembering the boys as you knew them, and treasuring the happy times you spent with them."
From BBC ● Apr. 11, 2025
By the end, DuVernay has, with editor Spencer Averick’s fleet stitching, massaged her adaptation’s various threads into a collage of insight and emotion worth treasuring.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 8, 2023
Fill each pear with a scoop of ice cream, drizzle with honey, top with several grinds of pepper and eat immediately while treasuring the trees, the bees, summertime, life in general — all of it.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 1, 2023
The two are honorary starters for Sunday’s race - “Kurt will wave the green flag two-thousandths of a second after Ricky,” raceway president Kerry Tharp quipped - and will keep treasuring their moment.
From Washington Times ● May 12, 2023
She takes the paper and holds it tightly in her fist, treasuring it.
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.
