treasure
Americannoun
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wealth or riches stored or accumulated, especially in the form of precious metals, money, jewels, or plate.
- Synonyms:
- hoard
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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)
noun
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wealth and riches, usually hoarded, esp in the form of money, precious metals, or gems
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a thing or person that is highly prized or valued
verb
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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
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treasuresimple
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treasuressimple
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have treasuredperfect
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has treasuredperfect
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am treasuringprogressive
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are treasuringprogressive
-
is treasuringprogressive
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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
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Mother's Day Words: What Mothers Do
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Beowulf vocabulary
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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.
"Tennis is very important to me, but I have a life outside of that. I have to treasure tennis in the way that I can, which is not putting too much importance on it."
From BBC • Jul. 5, 2026
‘There’s this whole treasure of older talent not being utilized. You’re at the height of your abilities and the world is telling you that you can go off and disappear.’
From MarketWatch • Jul. 1, 2026
ENSENADA, Mexico — In a parched hillside village southeast of Ensenada, where electricity and plumbing are scarce and roaming dogs are plentiful, a treasure can be found on the grounds of an elementary school.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 27, 2026
He also came to treasure his time mowing the fairways each morning before the golfers arrived, the dew glistening on the grass while the nibbling, untroubled deer looked on from the rough.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 11, 2026
Booth’s diary, money, keys, compass, small knife, and tobacco would be taken to Stanton as treasure and evidence.
From "Chasing Lincoln's Killer" by James L. Swanson
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.
