TREAT

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does treat mean? 

• TREAT (noun)
  The noun TREAT has 2 senses:

1. something considered choice to eat

2. an occurrence that causes special pleasure or delight

  Familiarity information: TREAT used as a noun is rare.

• TREAT (verb)
  The verb TREAT has 8 senses:

1. interact in a certain way

2. subject to a process or treatment, with the aim of readying for some purpose, improving, or remedying a condition

3. provide treatment for

4. act on verbally or in some form of artistic expression

5. provide with a gift or entertainment

6. provide with choice or abundant food or drink

7. engage in negotiations in order to reach an agreement

8. regard or consider in a specific way

  Familiarity information: TREAT used as a verb is common.

 Dictionary entry details 

• TREAT (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Something considered choice to eat

Classified under:

Nouns denoting foods and drinks

Synonyms:

dainty; delicacy; goody; kickshaw; treat

Hypernyms ("treat" is a kind of...):

aliment; alimentation; nourishment; nutriment; nutrition; sustenance; victuals (a source of materials to nourish the body)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "treat"):

savory; savoury (an aromatic or spicy dish served at the end of dinner or as an hors d'oeuvre)

confection; sweet (a food rich in sugar)

ambrosia; nectar ((classical mythology) the food and drink of the gods; mortals who ate it became immortal)

gelatin; jelly (an edible jelly (sweet or pungent) made with gelatin and used as a dessert or salad base or a coating for foods)

bone marrow; marrow (very tender and very nutritious tissue from marrowbones)

choice morsel; tidbit; titbit (a small tasty bit of food)

Derivation:

treat (provide with choice or abundant food or drink)

Sense 2

Meaning:

An occurrence that causes special pleasure or delight

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural events

Hypernyms ("treat" is a kind of...):

happening; natural event; occurrence; occurrent (an event that happens)

Derivation:

treat (provide with a gift or entertainment)

• TREAT (verb)

Conjugation:

Sense 1

Meaning:

Interact in a certain way

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Synonyms:

do by; handle; treat

Context example:

Handle the press reporters gently

Hypernyms (to "treat" is one way to...):

interact (act together or towards others or with others)

Verb group:

address; cover; deal; handle; plow; treat (act on verbally or in some form of artistic expression)

treat (regard or consider in a specific way)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "treat"):

bemock; mock (treat with contempt)

cut; disregard; ignore; snub (refuse to acknowledge)

wrong (treat unjustly; do wrong to)

handle with kid gloves (handle with great care and sensitivity)

criminalize (treat as a criminal)

nurse (treat carefully)

strong-arm (handle roughly)

ride roughshod; run roughshod (treat inconsiderately or harshly)

upstage (treat snobbishly, put in one's place)

rough-house (treat in a rough or boisterous manner)

brutalise; brutalize (treat brutally)

do well by (treat with respect and consideration)

gloss over; skate over; skimp over; slur over; smooth over (treat hurriedly or avoid dealing with properly)

abuse; ill-treat; ill-use; maltreat; mistreat; step (treat badly)

baby; cocker; coddle; cosset; featherbed; indulge; mollycoddle; pamper; spoil (treat with excessive indulgence)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s something Adjective/Noun
Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody

Sense 2

Meaning:

Subject to a process or treatment, with the aim of readying for some purpose, improving, or remedying a condition

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

process; treat

Context example:

treat an oil spill

Hypernyms (to "treat" is one way to...):

affect; bear on; bear upon; impact; touch; touch on (have an effect upon)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "treat"):

reverberate (treat, process, heat, melt, or refine in a reverberatory furnace)

curry (treat by incorporating fat)

seed (sprinkle with silver iodide particles to disperse and cause rain)

dose (treat with an agent; add (an agent) to)

nitrify; nitrogenise; nitrogenize (treat with nitrogen or a nitrogen compound)

sulfur; sulphur (treat with sulphur in order to preserve)

vulcanise; vulcanize (subject to vulcanization)

chrome (treat with a chromium compound)

bituminise; bituminize (treat with bitumen)

Agenise; Agenize (age or bleach flour with Agene (nitrogen trichloride))

run (cause to perform)

carboxylate (treat (a chemical compound) with carboxyl or carboxylic acid)

beneficiate (process (ores or other raw materials), as by reduction)

digest (convert food into absorbable substances)

fume; fumigate (treat with fumes, expose to fumes, especially with the aim of disinfecting or eradicating pests)

air-condition (control the humidity and temperature of)

camphorate (treat with camphor)

scald (treat with boiling water)

refine (treat or prepare so as to put in a usable condition)

propagate (cause to propagate, as by grafting or layering)

iodise; iodize (treat with iodine)

nitrate (treat with nitric acid, so as to change an organic compound into a nitrate)

tank (treat in a tank)

aerate; oxygenate; oxygenise; oxygenize (impregnate, combine, or supply with oxygen)

mercerise; mercerize (treat to strengthen and improve the luster)

malt (treat with malt or malt extract)

fluoridate; fluoridise; fluoridize (subject to fluoridation; treat with fluoride)

creosote (treat with creosote)

chlorinate (treat or combine with chlorine)

carbonate (treat with carbon dioxide)

bromate; brominate (treat with bromine)

ammoniate (treat with ammonia)

irradiate; ray (expose to radiation)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Derivation:

treatment (the management of someone or something)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Provide treatment for

Classified under:

Verbs of grooming, dressing and bodily care

Synonyms:

care for; treat

Context example:

Treat the infection with antibiotics

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "treat"):

administer; dispense (give or apply (medications))

medicate; medicine (treat medicinally, treat with medicine)

relieve; remedy (provide relief for)

dress (apply a bandage or medication to)

splint (support with a splint)

operate; operate on (perform surgery on)

bleed; leech; phlebotomise; phlebotomize (draw blood)

cup; transfuse (treat by applying evacuated cups to the patient's skin)

shock (subject to electrical shocks)

pack (treat the body or any part of it by wrapping it, as with blankets or sheets, and applying compresses to it, or stuffing it to provide cover, containment, or therapy, or to absorb blood)

burn; cauterise; cauterize (burn, sear, or freeze (tissue) using a hot iron or electric current or a caustic agent)

analyse; analyze; psychoanalyse; psychoanalyze (subject to psychoanalytic treatment)

nurse (try to cure by special care of treatment, of an illness or injury)

hyperventilate (produce hyperventilation in)

massage (give a massage to)

purge (excrete or evacuate (someone's bowels or body))

correct (treat a defect)

insufflate (treat by blowing a powder or vapor into a bodily cavity)

detox; detoxify (treat for alcohol or drug dependence)

irrigate (supply with a constant flow or sprinkling of some liquid, for the purpose of cooling, cleansing, or disinfecting)

manipulate (treat manually, as with massage, for therapeutic purposed)

iodise; iodize (treat with iodine so as to prevent infection)

doctor (give medical treatment to)

vet (provide (a person) with medical care)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody

Sentence example:

Did he treat his foot?

Derivation:

treatment (care provided to improve a situation (especially medical procedures or applications that are intended to relieve illness or injury))

Sense 4

Meaning:

Act on verbally or in some form of artistic expression

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Synonyms:

address; cover; deal; handle; plow; treat

Context example:

The new book treats the history of China

Hypernyms (to "treat" is one way to...):

broach; initiate (bring up a topic for discussion)

Verb group:

do by; handle; treat (interact in a certain way)

comprehend; cover; embrace; encompass (include in scope; include as part of something broader; have as one's sphere or territory)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "treat"):

theologise; theologize (treat from a theological viewpoint or render theological in character)

discourse; discuss; talk about (to consider or examine in speech or writing)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s something

Derivation:

treatment (an extended communication (often interactive) dealing with some particular topic)

Sense 5

Meaning:

Provide with a gift or entertainment

Classified under:

Verbs of buying, selling, owning

Context example:

I like to treat myself to a day at a spa when I am depressed

Hypernyms (to "treat" is one way to...):

gift; give; present (give as a present; make a gift of)

Verb group:

regale; treat (provide with choice or abundant food or drink)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s somebody

Derivation:

treat (an occurrence that causes special pleasure or delight)

Sense 6

Meaning:

Provide with choice or abundant food or drink

Classified under:

Verbs of eating and drinking

Synonyms:

regale; treat

Context example:

She treated her houseguests with good food every night

Hypernyms (to "treat" is one way to...):

cater; ply; provide; supply (give what is desired or needed, especially support, food or sustenance)

Verb group:

treat (provide with a gift or entertainment)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "treat"):

wine (treat to wine)

feast; feed (gratify)

alcoholize (subject to the influence of alcohol)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s somebody
Somebody ----s somebody with something
Somebody ----s somebody PP

Derivation:

treat (something considered choice to eat)

Sense 7

Meaning:

Engage in negotiations in order to reach an agreement

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Context example:

they had to treat with the King

Hypernyms (to "treat" is one way to...):

negociate (confer with another in order to come to terms or reach an agreement)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s PP

Derivation:

treater (someone who negotiates (confers with others in order to reach a settlement))

Sense 8

Meaning:

Regard or consider in a specific way

Classified under:

Verbs of thinking, judging, analyzing, doubting

Context example:

I treated his advances as a joke

Hypernyms (to "treat" is one way to...):

react; respond (show a response or a reaction to something)

Verb group:

do by; handle; treat (interact in a certain way)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something PP

 Context examples 

An abbreviation for a chemotherapy combination used to treat Hodgkin lymphoma.

(ABVD, NCI Dictionary)

To me, who live so much alone, her conversation, I assure you, is a treat.

(Persuasion, by Jane Austen)

Henry's indignation on hearing how Catherine had been treated, on comprehending his father's views, and being ordered to acquiesce in them, had been open and bold.

(Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen)

HIV infection in the treated cells was much lower than in the untreated cells.

(Vesicles released by bacteria may reduce the spread of HIV in human tissue, National Institutes of Health)

I leave both the choice of subject and the manner of treating it entirely to yourself.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

With all my heart, said the miller; but how shall I treat them?

(Fairy Tales, by The Brothers Grimm)

Early diagnosis of malaria is vital in order to increase the chances of treating infected people.

(Biosensor promises early malaria diagnosis, SciDev.Net)

It was treating her like her cousins!

(Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen)

A drug used to treat bladder cancer that does not respond to BCG (Bacillus Calmette Guerin).

(AD 32, NCI Dictionary)

This type of cancer usually gets worse quickly if it is not treated.

(Acute Myeloid Leukemia, NIH: National Cancer Institute)