pretreat
verb
pre·treat
ˌprē-ˈtrēt 
variants
or pre-treat
pretreated or pre-treated; pretreating or pre-treating
: to treat previously : to subject to pretreatment
pretreat the stain before washing
pretreated the roads with sand/salt before the snowstorm
pretreating wastewater
… he now pretreats patients with medicines to counter possible reactions.—
Elisabeth Rosenthal
Elisabeth RosenthalExamples of pretreat in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
If there are visible stains, pretreat them with a stain-removing product.
—Jolie Kerr, Better Homes & Gardens, 15 June 2025
The Tennessee Department of Transportation, which is in charge of interstates and state routes, reported using nearly 430,000 gallons of brine to pretreat roads on Tuesday.
—Adam Tamburin, Axios, 18 Feb. 2025
Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser announced in a statement that the city's snow team, which uses 136 snowplows and 10 dump trucks, will charge into action at midnight to pretreat roadways with snow-dissolving salt.
—Marlene Lenthang, NBC News, 10 Feb. 2025
Removing Stains from Robes Before washing a bathrobe, check for stains and pretreat them prior to laundering.
—Jolie Kerr, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 Jan. 2025
Road crews continued to pretreat Thursday morning to try to get as much material down as possible ahead of the snow.
—Thomas Saccente, arkansasonline.com, 9 Jan. 2025
Prepare the Garment for Washing Use a dab of wool wash to pretreat stains.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 7 Dec. 2024
For stubborn stains, pretreat them with the appropriate solution before tackling the more wipeable messes.
—Patricia Shannon, Southern Living, 25 Oct. 2024
To use dish soap to pretreat a lipstick stain, apply it directly onto the stain, making sure to cover it completely.
—Jolie Kerr, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Oct. 2024
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Jolie Kerr, Better Homes & Gardens, 15 June 2025
The Tennessee Department of Transportation, which is in charge of interstates and state routes, reported using nearly 430,000 gallons of brine to pretreat roads on Tuesday.
—Adam Tamburin, Axios, 18 Feb. 2025
Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser announced in a statement that the city's snow team, which uses 136 snowplows and 10 dump trucks, will charge into action at midnight to pretreat roadways with snow-dissolving salt.
—Marlene Lenthang, NBC News, 10 Feb. 2025
Removing Stains from Robes Before washing a bathrobe, check for stains and pretreat them prior to laundering.
—Jolie Kerr, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 Jan. 2025
Road crews continued to pretreat Thursday morning to try to get as much material down as possible ahead of the snow.
—Thomas Saccente, arkansasonline.com, 9 Jan. 2025
Prepare the Garment for Washing Use a dab of wool wash to pretreat stains.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 7 Dec. 2024
For stubborn stains, pretreat them with the appropriate solution before tackling the more wipeable messes.
—Patricia Shannon, Southern Living, 25 Oct. 2024
To use dish soap to pretreat a lipstick stain, apply it directly onto the stain, making sure to cover it completely.
—Jolie Kerr, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Oct. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Pretreat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pretreat. Accessed 10 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
pretreat
transitive verb
pre·treat
-ˈtrēt
: to subject to pretreatment
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share