treat
Behave toward someone in a certain way
To act towards someone in a certain way.
to treat [someone] [adverb/adjective]
- She always treats her employees with kindness.
- He felt they treated him unfairly.
- The teacher treated all the students equally.
- They treated us like family.
- She treats her dog well.
- My boss treats me with respect.
- He treats his sister kindly.
- We must treat others fairly.
Give medical attention to someone
To give medical help to someone who is sick or hurt.
to treat [someone] for [illness/injury]
- The doctor treated her for pneumonia.
- Paramedics treated the injured man at the scene.
- She was treated with antibiotics.
- The nurse treated my cut.
- The doctor treated him for a cold.
- They treated the sick child.
Special gift or enjoyable thing
A special thing that makes you happy, often as a gift.
- Taking the kids to the zoo was a real treat.
- She brought chocolate cake as a treat.
- The concert was such a treat for us.
- Ice cream is my favorite treat.
- He gave me a book as a treat.
- This trip is a treat for the children.
Pay for something for someone else
To pay for something for another person, like food or tickets, as a nice act.
to treat [someone] to [something]
- Let me treat you to lunch today.
- He treated his parents to a weekend getaway.
- She treated her friend to a coffee.
- I will treat you to dinner.
- He treated me to ice cream.
- She treated her friend to a movie.
Apply something to improve or protect
To put something on or do something to an object to make it better or keep it safe.
to treat [something] with [substance]
- They treated the wood with varnish to protect it from moisture.
- The water is treated before it reaches homes.
- You should treat the stain with soap before washing.
- Treat the water before drinking it.
- We treated the wood with paint.
- He treated the shirt with soap.
- Base: treat
- Plural: treats
- Base: treat
- 3rd Person Singular: treats
- Present Participle: treating
- Past: treated
special treat
1Rare enjoyable gift or event
A very nice thing you get only sometimes, often as a surprise or reward.
- As a special treat, we’re going out for dinner tonight.
- Chocolate cake is my special treat after exams.
treat yourself
1Give yourself something nice
To buy or do something special for yourself for pleasure.
- You’ve worked hard—go ahead and treat yourself!
- I decided to treat myself to a spa day.
trick or treat
1Halloween request for candy
A phrase children say on Halloween when asking for candy while dressed in costumes.
- On Halloween night, children go door-to-door saying 'trick or treat'.
- We bought lots of candy for trick-or-treat night.
trick or treat
2Halloween request for candy
Words that children say on Halloween when they go from house to house asking for candy.
- The children ran from door to door shouting, "Trick or treat!"
- We bought bags of candy for all the kids who come to say "trick or treat."
- On Halloween night, groups of children in costumes go trick or treating.