treat
gb/tɹˈit/ us/tɹˈit/
A2
English
~ 900
Senses
0 senses
Verb
A2
action
1
Behave toward someone in a certain way
To act towards someone in a certain way.
Usage pattern:
to treat [someone] [adverb/adjective]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'treat' with 'threat', which means to say you will cause harm.
Synonyms
deal with (More general; not always about interpersonal behavior.)
|
handle (Often used for situations or tasks as well as people.)
Antonyms
mistreat (Specifically means to treat someone badly or unfairly.)
Collocations
treat fairly
|treat badly
|treat with respect
|treat equally
Themes
relationships
|daily life
|communication
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- 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.
Learner examples
- She treats her dog well.
- My boss treats me with respect.
- He treats his sister kindly.
- We must treat others fairly.
Verb
A2
action
2
Give medical attention to someone
To give medical help to someone who is sick or hurt.
Usage pattern:
to treat [someone] for [illness/injury]
Synonyms
medicate (Focuses on giving medicine rather than all forms of care.)
|
heal (Focuses on making someone well, not the process of providing care.)
Antonyms
neglect (Failing to provide necessary care.)
Collocations
treat a patient
|treat an injury
|treat for cancer
Themes
health
|medicine
|animals
Examples
- The doctor treated her for pneumonia.
- Paramedics treated the injured man at the scene.
- She was treated with antibiotics.
Learner examples
- The nurse treated my cut.
- The doctor treated him for a cold.
- They treated the sick child.
Noun
A2
entity
3
Special gift or enjoyable thing
A special thing that makes you happy, often as a gift.
Synonyms
gift (General term for something given; may not imply pleasure in the same way.)
|
delight (Focuses more on the feeling than the object or experience itself.)
Antonyms
disappointment (Something that causes unhappiness instead of pleasure.)
Collocations
sweet treat
|birthday treat
|special treat
Themes
food
|leisure
|daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- 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.
Learner examples
- Ice cream is my favorite treat.
- He gave me a book as a treat.
- This trip is a treat for the children.
Verb
B1
action
4
Pay for something for someone else
To pay for something for another person, like food or tickets, as a nice act.
Usage pattern:
to treat [someone] to [something]
Synonyms
buy for (Simpler phrase meaning to purchase for someone; lacks the connotation of generosity.)
Antonyms
split the bill (Each person pays their own share instead of one person paying for all.)
Collocations
treat someone to dinner
|treat someone to a movie
Themes
money
|social life
|finance
|relationships
|daily_life
Examples
- Let me treat you to lunch today.
- He treated his parents to a weekend getaway.
- She treated her friend to a coffee.
Learner examples
- I will treat you to dinner.
- He treated me to ice cream.
- She treated her friend to a movie.
Verb
B1
action
5
Apply something to improve or protect
To put something on or do something to an object to make it better or keep it safe.
Usage pattern:
to treat [something] with [substance]
Synonyms
process (General term for doing something to change or prepare something.)
|
coat (Specifically means covering with a layer of material.)
Antonyms
damage (To cause harm instead of protecting or improving.)
Collocations
treat wood with oil
|treat water
|treat fabric
Themes
maintenance
|science
|daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- 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.
Learner examples
- Treat the water before drinking it.
- We treated the wood with paint.
- He treated the shirt with soap.
Grammar
Dictionary form
treat
IPA
GB/tɹˈit/
US/tɹˈit/
Syllables & stress
treat (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (treat)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: treat
- Plural: treats
Verb
- Base: treat
- 3rd Person Singular: treats
- Present Participle: treating
- Past: treated
Word family
Expressions
special treat
1/spˈɛʃəl tɹˈit/
fixed phrase
Rare enjoyable gift or event
A very nice thing you get only sometimes, often as a surprise or reward.
Examples
- As a special treat, we’re going out for dinner tonight.
- Chocolate cake is my special treat after exams.
treat yourself
1/tɹˈit jʊɹsˈɛlf/
fixed phrase
informal
Give yourself something nice
To buy or do something special for yourself for pleasure.
Examples
- You’ve worked hard—go ahead and treat yourself!
- I decided to treat myself to a spa day.
trick or treat
1/tɹˈɪk ˈɔɹ tɹˈit/
fixed phrase
Halloween request for candy
A phrase children say on Halloween when asking for candy while dressed in costumes.
Examples
- 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
2/tɹˈɪk ˈɔɹ tɹˈit/
fixed phrase
Halloween request for candy
Words that children say on Halloween when they go from house to house asking for candy.
Examples
- 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.