treated; treating; treats
1
2
a
: to bear oneself toward : use
treat a horse cruelly
b
: to regard and deal with in a specified manner
—usually used with as
treat the matter as confidential
3
a
: to provide with free food, drink, or entertainment
they treated us to lunch
b
: to provide with enjoyment or gratification
4
: to care for or deal with medically or surgically
treat a disease
5
: to act upon with some agent especially to improve or alter
treat a metal with acid
1
: to pay another's expenses (as for a meal or drink) especially as a compliment or as an expression of regard or friendship
2
: to discuss terms of accommodation or settlement : negotiate
3
: to deal with a matter especially in writing : discourse
—usually used with of
a book treating of conservation
treater
noun
1
a
: the act of providing another with free food, drink, or entertainment
dinner will be my treat
b
: an entertainment given without expense to those invited
2
: an especially unexpected source of joy, delight, or amusement
seeing her again was a treat
Synonyms
Examples of treat in a Sentence
Verb
The author treats this issue in the next chapter.
This situation must be treated with great care.
I try to treat everyone equally.
She treats the horse cruelly.
They treated me like a member of their family.
I was treated like a queen.
My parents still treat me like a child.
Try to treat everyone as an equal.
Young people should always treat their elders with respect.
Let's go out to dinner. I'll treat.
Noun
We took the kids to the water park as a special treat.
cookies and other tasty treats
She rewarded the dog with a treat.
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Recent Examples on the Web
Ella Quittner, New York Times, 1 Dec. 2023
Doctors say most cases of bacterial pneumonia can be treated with antibiotics and most don't require hospitalization.
—Meg Oliver, CBS News, 1 Dec. 2023
The lawsuit alleges that jail officials knew about but failed to properly treat the condition.
—Jeff McDonald, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Nov. 2023
Use of company property, particularly hardware and software Be very clear about how employees treat each other via emails, texts, phone messages, etc).
—Joyce E. A. Russell, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2023
The mother of one of the Palestinian American college students shot on the street near the University of Vermont has no doubt that the men were targeted and says the shooting should absolutely be treated as a hate crime.
—Antonio Planas, NBC News, 30 Nov. 2023
In those cases, the terms generally dictated that users’ biodata would be treated as financial assets and transferred to new ownership, and only half of the companies even considering this issue promised that the data would be bound to the same privacy practices in effect at the time of testing.
—Sandra Gutierrez G., Popular Science, 30 Nov. 2023
She was treated at a hospital for minor neck and head injuries, including a cut to her ear, police said.
—Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 30 Nov. 2023
And, look, this is a microcosm of the challenges associated with this entire conflict, because this is obviously a hospital, where there are patients who were being treated, the most advanced hospital in Gaza, also a place where innocent civilians have gathered during the course this conflict.
—CBS News, 19 Nov. 2023
Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 29 Nov. 2023
Enjoy seasonal vendors, live music, holiday treats and other entertainment and an appearance by Santa Claus.
—The San Diego Union-Tribune Staff, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Nov. 2023
Eliminating the nuts might give you a little less batter or dough to work with, which will primarily affect the yield of such treats as cookies or muffins.
—Becky Krystal, Washington Post, 28 Nov. 2023
If the holiday season involves baking up gingerbread cookies, yummy cakes, or other delectable treats, the KitchenAid 5 Ultra-Power Speed Hand Mixer will make your world go round.
—Alyssa Grabinski, Peoplemag, 25 Nov. 2023
Find it on Amazon Bean-to-Jewel Bonbons Vesta Chocolate’s Limited Edition Amethyst Holiday Bonbons are an irresistible treat, their bean-to-jewel process reflecting the uniqueness of the items on Oprah’s annual lists.
—Margaret Drake, Rolling Stone, 24 Nov. 2023
The shop offers a staggeringly large collection of candies, including vintage and rare sweet treats, as well as homemade confections.
—Carly Caramanna, Travel + Leisure, 19 Nov. 2023
This is an understandable take on human beings who are engaged in round-the-clock efforts to reshape green vegetables into tasty treats and recast scary unknowns as fun mysteries.
—Heather Havrilesky, New York Times, 18 Nov. 2023
This take on the recipe brings comforting pumpkin-spice flavor to the mix, along with chocolate chips, tipping them more toward dessert or afternoon treat than breakfast.
—Ellie Krieger, Washington Post, 16 Nov. 2023
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Verb
Today, her customers see the final course as an opportunity to treat themselves.
—Ella Quittner, New York Times, 1 Dec. 2023
Doctors say most cases of bacterial pneumonia can be treated with antibiotics and most don't require hospitalization.
—Meg Oliver, CBS News, 1 Dec. 2023
The lawsuit alleges that jail officials knew about but failed to properly treat the condition.
—Jeff McDonald, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Nov. 2023
Use of company property, particularly hardware and software Be very clear about how employees treat each other via emails, texts, phone messages, etc).
—Joyce E. A. Russell, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2023
The mother of one of the Palestinian American college students shot on the street near the University of Vermont has no doubt that the men were targeted and says the shooting should absolutely be treated as a hate crime.
—Antonio Planas, NBC News, 30 Nov. 2023
In those cases, the terms generally dictated that users’ biodata would be treated as financial assets and transferred to new ownership, and only half of the companies even considering this issue promised that the data would be bound to the same privacy practices in effect at the time of testing.
—Sandra Gutierrez G., Popular Science, 30 Nov. 2023
She was treated at a hospital for minor neck and head injuries, including a cut to her ear, police said.
—Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 30 Nov. 2023
And, look, this is a microcosm of the challenges associated with this entire conflict, because this is obviously a hospital, where there are patients who were being treated, the most advanced hospital in Gaza, also a place where innocent civilians have gathered during the course this conflict.
—CBS News, 19 Nov. 2023
Noun
The open-air market runs most weekends from mid-November to mid-December, and visitors will find various holiday gifts and treats as well as artisan demonstrations.
—Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 29 Nov. 2023
Enjoy seasonal vendors, live music, holiday treats and other entertainment and an appearance by Santa Claus.
—The San Diego Union-Tribune Staff, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Nov. 2023
Eliminating the nuts might give you a little less batter or dough to work with, which will primarily affect the yield of such treats as cookies or muffins.
—Becky Krystal, Washington Post, 28 Nov. 2023
If the holiday season involves baking up gingerbread cookies, yummy cakes, or other delectable treats, the KitchenAid 5 Ultra-Power Speed Hand Mixer will make your world go round.
—Alyssa Grabinski, Peoplemag, 25 Nov. 2023
Find it on Amazon Bean-to-Jewel Bonbons Vesta Chocolate’s Limited Edition Amethyst Holiday Bonbons are an irresistible treat, their bean-to-jewel process reflecting the uniqueness of the items on Oprah’s annual lists.
—Margaret Drake, Rolling Stone, 24 Nov. 2023
The shop offers a staggeringly large collection of candies, including vintage and rare sweet treats, as well as homemade confections.
—Carly Caramanna, Travel + Leisure, 19 Nov. 2023
This is an understandable take on human beings who are engaged in round-the-clock efforts to reshape green vegetables into tasty treats and recast scary unknowns as fun mysteries.
—Heather Havrilesky, New York Times, 18 Nov. 2023
This take on the recipe brings comforting pumpkin-spice flavor to the mix, along with chocolate chips, tipping them more toward dessert or afternoon treat than breakfast.
—Ellie Krieger, Washington Post, 16 Nov. 2023
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'treat.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Verb
Middle English treten, from Anglo-French treter, traiter, traitier, from Latin tractare to drag about, handle, deal with, frequentative of trahere to drag, pull
First Known Use
Verb
14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 2
Noun
1651, in the meaning defined at sense 1b
Time Traveler
The first known use of treat was
in the 14th century
Phrases Containing treat
Articles Related to treat
Dictionary Entries Near treat
Cite this Entry
“Treat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/treat. Accessed 5 Dec. 2023.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
treat
1 of 2 verb1
: to discuss terms of agreement with : negotiate
treat with the enemy
2
a
: to have as a subject especially in writing
a book treating of crime
b
: to deal with : handle
roses must be treated with care
3
a
: to pay for another's food or entertainment
I'm treating tonight
b
: to provide with free food, entertainment, or enjoyment
let me treat you with lunch
4
: to handle, use, or act toward in a usually stated way
treat a horse cruelly
treat this as top secret
5
: to give medical or surgical care to
treat a patient
treat a cold
6
: to subject to some action or process to bring about a desired result
treat a metal with acid
treat
2 of 2 noun1
: an entertainment given without expense to those invited
2
: a usually unexpected or unusual source of pleasure or amusement
Medical Definition
treat
transitive verb
: to care for or deal with medically or surgically : deal with by medical or surgical means
treated their diseases
treats a patient
More from Merriam-Webster on treat
Nglish: Translation of treat for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of treat for Arabic Speakers
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