treat
verb
\ ˈtrēt
\
\
treated;
treating;
treats
Definition of treat
(Entry 1 of 2)
1a
: to deal with in speech or writing : expound
b
: to present or represent artistically
c
: to deal with : handle
food is plentiful and treated with imagination— Cecil Beaton
2a
: 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
3a
: 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
treat
nounDefinition of treat (Entry 2 of 2)
1a
: 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
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Synonyms for treat
Synonyms: Verb
act (toward), be (to), deal (with), handle, serve, use
Synonyms: Noun
delectation, delight, feast, gas [slang], joy, kick, manna, pleasure
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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.
Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
The Moscow Times, an independent news outlet, first reported health workers who treated those injured in the blast were not informed about the potential radiation risk from handling the patients. — Fox News, "Russia nuclear missile explosion resulted in radioactive isotopes found in test samples after accident," 26 Aug. 2019 Some of those children will be admitted to and treated in the general pediatrics ward. — Sabrina Adams, SELF, "I Treat Infants With Whooping Cough in the ICU—Of Course I’m Pro-Vaccine," 26 Aug. 2019 Like Raise Up, the business groups have their own constituents to worry about, and some may wonder about working politely with Raise Up when the state’s business community gets treated like a punching bag. — Jon Chesto, BostonGlobe.com, "Raise Up letter tests progressive group’s relationship with business community," 26 Aug. 2019 One day in the early sixties, Saul Zucker, a pediatrician and anesthesiologist in the Bronx, was treating the child of a New York assemblyman named Alexander Chananau. — Nick Paumgarten, The New Yorker, "The Message of Measles," 26 Aug. 2019 In this case, the leftover products—that oily smudge that was once the test glider—primarily consist of the ionic liquids with which the researchers treated the polymer. — Prachi Patel, Scientific American, "Disappearing Plastics Stay Strong in the Shadows and Melt Away in the Sun," 26 Aug. 2019 The food world is going cuckoo over Popeye’s new chicken sandwich, and South Floridians are flocking to the fast-food chain to try the hot and crunchy treat. — Michael Mayo, sun-sentinel.com, "Chicken sandwich mania at Popeye’s: big crowds, long waits and our critic’s take," 25 Aug. 2019 The heads of state from some of the world’s leading democracies treated Mr. Trump delicately at the summit in the beach resort in the south of France, hoping to avoid an angry outburst. — Michael D. Shear, New York Times, "Trump Offers Contradictory Signals on China Trade War," 25 Aug. 2019 Based on the timeline given in the statement, the cancer was detected and treated very early. — Sarah Midkiff, refinery29.com, "Ruth Bader Ginsburg Completed Cancer Treatment In August," 24 Aug. 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
Use this simple sugar cookie dough as the base for any sweet treat. — The Good Housekeeping Test Kitchen, Good Housekeeping, "Basic Sugar Cookies," 2 Aug. 2019 With Two Sweet to Be Good, Jackson offers up a summer treat, sweet and breezily romantic in its charms. — Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, "Hot Stuff: July romances offer 'knotty' self-discovery," 30 July 2019 People flock in to fill up on pierogis, sweet treats and Polish plates Friday through Sunday. — Stephanie Sokol, chicagotribune.com, "Six pierogi spots to try at the annual Pierogi Fest in Whiting this weekend," 26 July 2019 Top the meal off with a sweet interactive treat, like roasted marshmallows that the whole crowd will enjoy. — Kelsey Butler, USA TODAY, "Have a memorable backyard campout tomorrow: items you can order for delivery," 19 July 2019 With temperatures hovering in the 90s through the weekend, Sunday’s National Ice Cream Day comes at the perfect time to celebrate the sweet treat. — Brenda Cain And Yadi Rodriguez - Cleveland.com, cleveland.com, "We tasted 34 Pierre’s ice cream flavors to help you stock your freezer for National Ice Cream Day July 21," 17 July 2019 Teaching children how to live healthy lifestyles while being able to enjoy their favorite soft drink, doughnuts, candy, or other sweet treat in moderation should be our goal and would have long-term, meaningful impact. — BostonGlobe.com, "Should Massachusetts impose an excise tax on sugary drinks?," 28 June 2019 Celebrate the first official day of summer with a sweet treat. — Leada Gore | Lgore@al.com, al.com, "Free ice cream today at Dairy Queen: Celebrate first day of summer with free cone," 21 June 2019 Want to apply sweet treats such as Marshmallow, Gumdrop, and Starburst to your eyes? — Tatum Dooley, Teen Vogue, "Meet Jo Baker, The Celebrity MUA Inspired by Food," 18 June 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'treat.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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