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treasure

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noun trea·sure \ˈtre-zhər, ˈtrā-\

Definition of treasure

  1. 1a (1) :  wealth (such as money, jewels, or precious metals) stored up or hoarded buried treasure (2) :  wealth of any kind or in any form :  richesb :  a store of money in reserve

  2. 2 :  something of great worth or value; also :  a person esteemed as rare or precious

  3. 3 :  a collection of precious things

See treasure defined for English-language learners

See treasure defined for kids

From the M-W Editors

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Examples of treasure in a Sentence

  1. a legend about the pirates' buried treasure

  2. Central Park is one of New York City's many treasures.

  3. Grandmother's nurse has been a real treasure.

Origin and Etymology of treasure

Middle English tresor, from Anglo-French, from Latin thesaurus — more at thesaurus


First Known Use: 12th century

treasure Synonyms

Synonyms
boast, credit, crown jewel, honor, jewel, pride, glory, trophy
Related Words
pièce de résistance, showpiece; attraction, feature, highlight; distinction, excellence, merit, value, virtue
Near Antonyms
disgrace, dishonor; blemish, blot, defect, shame, slur, smirch, smudge, stain, stigma; eyesore, fright, horror, mess
2

treasure

verb trea·sure

Definition of treasure

treasured

;

treasuring

play \-zh(ə-)riŋ\
  1. transitive verb

  2. 1 :  to hold or keep as precious :  cherish, prize she treasured those memories

  3. 2 :  to collect and store up (something of value) for future use :  hoard

See treasure defined for English-language learners

Examples of treasure in a Sentence

  1. He treasures that autographed baseball.

  2. My grandmother's ring is my most treasured possession.

14th Century

First Known Use of treasure

14th century

treasure Synonyms

Synonyms
appreciate, cherish, prize, love, value
Antonyms
disvalue
Related Words
delight (in), dig, enjoy, fancy, groove (on), like, relish, revel (in); admire, apprize, esteem, regard, respect, revere, reverence, venerate; enshrine, memorialize; adore, caress, dote (on), idolize, worship
Near Antonyms
undervalue; abhor, abominate, despise, detest, execrate, hate, loathe; disdain, high-hat, scorn, scout, slight, sniff (at), snub; bad-mouth, belittle, cry down, decry, deprecate, depreciate, disparage, kiss off, minimize, put down, write off; abandon, forget, neglect

Synonym Discussion of treasure

appreciate, value, prize, treasure, cherish mean to hold in high estimation. appreciate often connotes sufficient understanding to enjoy or admire a thing's excellence. appreciates fine wine value implies rating a thing highly for its intrinsic worth. values our friendship prize implies taking a deep pride in something one possesses. Americans prize their freedom treasure emphasizes jealously safeguarding something considered precious. a treasured memento cherish implies a special love and care for something. cherishes her children above all

Phrases Related to TREASURE

Related Phrases

TREASURE Defined for English Language Learners

treasure

play
noun

Definition of treasure for English Language Learners

  • : something valuable (such as money, jewels, gold, or silver) that is hidden or kept in a safe place

  • : something that is very special, important, or valuable

  • : a person who is greatly loved or valued especially because of being very helpful

treasure

verb

Definition of treasure for English Language Learners

  • : to value (something) very much

TREASURE Defined for Kids

1

treasure

play
noun trea·sure \ˈtre-zhər\

Definition of treasure for Students

  1. 1 :  wealth (as money or jewels) stored up or held in reserve

  2. 2 :  something of great value The park is one of the city's treasures.

2

treasure

play
verb trea·sure

Definition of treasure for Students

treasured

;

treasuring

  1. :  to treat as precious :  cherish Ramona, who liked to draw … treasured the new eraser … — Beverly Cleary, Ramona Quimby

Law Dictionary

treasure

noun trea·sure

Legal Definition of treasure

  1. :  personal property that is hidden in something else for an extended period and whose owner cannot be determined

Learn More about treasure

  1. See words that rhyme with treasure Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for treasure Spanish Central: Translation of treasure Nglish: Translation of treasure for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of treasure for Arabic speakers

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