treat
Americanverb (used with object)
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treats,
present (3rd person singular)
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treated,
past participle, past
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treating
present participle
-
to act or behave toward (a person) in some specified way.
to treat someone with respect.
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to consider or regard in a specified way, and deal with accordingly.
to treat a matter as unimportant.
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to deal with (a disease, patient, etc.) in order to relieve or cure.
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to deal with in speech or writing; discuss.
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to deal with, develop, or represent artistically, especially in some specified manner or style.
to treat a theme realistically.
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to subject to some agent or action in order to bring about a particular result.
to treat a substance with an acid.
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to entertain; give hospitality to.
He treats diplomats in the lavish surroundings of his country estate.
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to provide food, entertainment, gifts, etc., at one's own expense.
Let me treat you to dinner.
verb (used without object)
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treats,
present (3rd person singular)
-
treated,
past participle, past
-
treating
present participle
-
to deal with a subject in speech or writing; discourse.
a work that treats of the caste system in India.
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to give, or bear the expense of, a treat.
Is it my turn to treat?
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to carry on negotiations with a view to a settlement; discuss terms of settlement; negotiate.
noun
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treats
plural
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entertainment, food, drink, etc., given by way of compliment or as an expression of friendly regard.
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anything that affords particular pleasure or enjoyment.
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the act of treating.
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one's turn to treat.
noun
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a celebration, entertainment, gift, or feast given for or to someone and paid for by another
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any delightful surprise or specially pleasant occasion
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the act of treating
verb
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(tr) to deal with or regard in a certain manner
she treats school as a joke
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(tr) to apply treatment to
to treat a patient for malaria
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(tr) to subject to a process or to the application of a substance
to treat photographic film with developer
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(tr; often foll by to) to provide (someone) (with) as a treat
he treated the children to a trip to the zoo
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formal to deal (with), as in writing or speaking
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formal (intr) to discuss settlement; negotiate
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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treaternoun
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overtreatverb
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nontreatedadjective
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self-treatedadjective
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treatableadjective
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untreatedadjective
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well-treatedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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treatsimple
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treatssimple
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have treatedperfect
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has treatedperfect
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am treatingprogressive
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are treatingprogressive
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is treatingprogressive
-
have been treatingperfect progressive
-
has been treatingperfect progressive
Past
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treatedsimple
-
had treatedperfect
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was treatingprogressive
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were treatingprogressive
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had been treatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of treat
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English verb treten, from Old French tretier, traitier, from Latin tractāre “to drag, handle, treat,” frequentative of trahere “to drag”; see tract 1
Explanation
If you've been working hard and living thriftily for months on end, give yourself a treat: take the night off and go out to dinner and a movie. One sense of treat has to do with pleasures and special occasions. You might treat your mother to a pedicure, or give your dog a tasty treat. Treat can also mean "to carry on negotiations," (the meaning that feeds into treaty), or "to take care of." A doctor treats your illness with medication. If you treat a boy as an adult, that means you act as though he is one, even if he's only 16. Treat him carefully!
Vocabulary lists containing treat
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"Water at Work"
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"On the Menu" and "Find the Adaptations"
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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.
See Examples For:
The new study, published in Cell Death & Differentiation, provides an explanation for this process in triple-negative breast cancer, a particularly difficult form of the disease to treat.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 17, 2026
But first Flávio must convince voters to treat him as a stand-in for his father.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
In Ruteng, a temporary medical tent was also assembled outside of a hospital to treat earthquake victims.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
“I would treat any sighting of a hammerhead as an amazing opportunity to be really excited about,” Talwar said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2026
She’s repeatedly warned me: One, never treat it as a power.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
Then, the hosts discuss the billionaires who are buying themselves fun little treats like the L.A.
From Slate ● Aug. 15, 2026
MLK Hospital currently treats some patients in large, air-conditioned tents set up on the asphalt outside.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
The PCE treats categories differently, for example including all spending on healthcare on behalf of consumers, such as by employers and the government, not just what consumers pay out of pocket.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
"We can reward our dogs with treats, but also reward them with happiness," said Cuaya.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
As Madame Ionesco herself could tell you, a baker must work in the dead of night in order to have plenty of fresh-baked treats ready for the morning’s customers.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
"Kim Jong Un has always treated me with great respect," Trump said.
From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026
Its growth in St Aubin's Bay, Jersey, is normally attributed to warm, shallow conditions, combined with run-off from fields and treated water.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
The work behind the compound began nearly 20 years ago, when Quitterer received brain tissue samples from patients treated by a doctor and colleague at Ain Shams University Hospital in Cairo.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 17, 2026
In July 2025, Winn posted clinic letters on Instagram addressed to Timothy Walker, Moth's legal name, which she said showed that "he is treated for CBD/S and has been for many years".
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
Mostly she treated cats and dogs, but sometimes she had “unusual patients.”
From "A Boy Called Bat" by Elana K. Arnold
The results provide new insight into viruses that persist in the body and could eventually help guide strategies for preventing or treating their reactivation.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 16, 2026
Those are not the same conversation, and yet we keep treating them as if they are.
From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026
GMB accused contractor Idverde of failing to recognise and value the workers' skills and experience, and of treating the London Living Wage as a maximum rather than a minimum.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
Still, investors need to be careful: the market is increasingly treating these companies alike, even though they aren’t equal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
She was treating him like a baby, not just a baby brother.
From "Millionaires for the Month" by Stacey McAnulty
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.
