treat like dirt

Idioms

Behave badly or show contempt toward, as in Her boss treats all the secretaries like dirt. This idiom uses dirt in the sense of “something worthless,” a usage dating from the mid-1300s.

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.

Still I don’t feel like apologizing to her, because what kind of jerk hits on someone they used to treat like dirt?

From Slate • May 17, 2017

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023