TREAT | Meaning, Definition In Cambridge English Dictionary

Meaning of treat in English treatverb uk /triːt/ us /triːt/

treat verb (DEAL WITH)

Add to word list Add to word list B2 [ T usually + adv/prep ] to behave towards someone or deal with something in a particular way: My parents treated us all the same when we were kids. He treated his wife very badly.treat someone/something as if It's wrong to treat animals as if they had no feelings.treat something with something I treat remarks like that with the contempt that they deserve. to be about something
  • be aboutWhat is the story about?
  • have (got) to do withWhat's that got to do with it?
  • relate toThat relates to what I was saying earlier about the need for reform.
  • concernThe film concerns the complicated nature of marriage.
  • coverWe will cover the passive voice later in the course.
  • deal withWe will deal with the use of antidepressants in chapter three.
See more results »
  • Many companies still treat their management staff better than their workers.
  • You really should treat your parents with more respect.
  • These men's magazines just treat women as playthings.
  • We try to treat our students as individuals.
  • All information will be treated as strictly confidential.
Behaving, interacting and behaviour
  • as ye sow, so shall ye reap idiom
  • atavism
  • attachment disorder
  • attitude
  • bearing
  • bedside manner
  • behave
  • follow someone's example
  • humanization
  • humanize
  • in someone's demeanour
  • interact
  • interact with something
  • interaction
  • nudge theory
  • operant
  • phase
  • presence
  • provincialism
  • sauce
See more results »

treat verb (GIVE MEDICAL CARE)

B2 [ T ] to use drugs, exercises, etc. to cure a person of a disease or heal an injury: be treated for He is being treated for a rare skin disease.treat a symptom Western medicine tends to treat the symptoms and not the cause.
  • The farmer called the vet out to treat a sick cow.
  • Laboratory tests suggest that the new drug may be used to treat cancer.
  • Two firefighters were treated for smoke inhalation.
  • At that time I worked in a small hospital where I was treating shell-shocked soldiers.
  • Antihistamine is often used to treat hay fever and insect bites.
Medical treatment: treating & caring for people
  • aggressively
  • bed blocker
  • bed blocking
  • bring
  • bring someone around phrasal verb
  • health navigation
  • health navigator
  • health tourism
  • hold a clinic idiom
  • intensive care
  • keep your/an eye on something/someone idiom
  • logroll
  • paternal
  • pre-treat
  • pre-treatment
  • pretreatment
  • reablement
  • referral
  • rehospitalization
  • soothe
See more results »

treat verb (PAY FOR)

B2 [ T ] to buy or pay for something for another person: treat someone (to something) Put your money away - I'm going to treat you (to this).treat yourself to something I'm going to treat myself to (= buy for myself) a new pair of sandals. to buy something
  • buyI need to buy some new shoes.
  • getI need to go to the supermarket and get some bread.
  • purchaseShe purchased a new computer.
  • pick something upCan you just pop in the shop and pick up some eggs?
See more results » Buying & selling - general words
  • all-you-can-eat
  • anti-consumer
  • anti-dumping
  • back order
  • barter
  • dealership
  • desk research
  • distribution channel
  • do business with someone/something
  • dumping
  • ebay
  • hock
  • package deal
  • pawn
  • pre-emption
  • pre-order
  • procurement
  • tender
  • the bottom drops/falls out of the market idiom
  • window shopping
See more results »

You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

Paying money

treat verb (PUT ON)

[ T ] to put a special substance on material such as wood, cloth, metal, etc. or put it through a special process, in order to protect it from damage or decay: be treated with The material has been treated with resin to make it waterproof. Covering and adding layers
  • additive
  • asphalt
  • bestrew
  • blanket
  • blindfold
  • bury
  • film
  • film over phrasal verb
  • grit
  • gum something up phrasal verb
  • inlaid
  • inlaid with something
  • lacquer
  • plaster
  • remould
  • repaint
  • repave
  • replaster
  • reseal
  • veil
See more results »

You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

Industrial processing

Idioms

treat someone like dirt treat someone like royalty treatnoun uk /triːt/ us /triːt/

treat noun (SOMETHING SPECIAL)

C2 [ C ] a special and enjoyable occasion or experience, often a reward or celebration: birthday treat We're going to Italy for the weekend - it's my birthday treat.special treat As a special treat, I'll take you to my favourite restaurant. [ C ] something special that you buy because it makes you feel happy or brings happiness to someone else: In an economic crisis, while sales of expensive luxuries decline, purchases of small treats - a new cosmetic, for example - increase. A little posy of flowers is a delightful treat to give a friend. Pleasure and happiness
  • abandon
  • afterglow
  • beatitude
  • bed
  • bed of roses idiom
  • exultancy
  • exultation
  • feast
  • for fun phrase
  • fulfilment
  • joie de vivre
  • joviality
  • joy
  • joyfulness
  • joyousness
  • sensuality
  • sensuousness
  • stardust
  • state of euphoria
  • wellbeing
See more results »

You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

Celebrations, parties & special occasions

treat noun (TO EAT)

[ C ] a type of food that is eaten in addition to your usual meals, usually something sweet: There is a lot of competition with the sugar-filled and artificially flavoured treats on the store shelves.snacks and treats Try to encourage children not to eat too many of those snacks and treats that tend to pile on the pounds without providing much nutrition. [ C ] a small piece of food, often specially produced, that is given to pets in addition to their usual food, for example as a reward: We offer a smart, healthy alternative to the highly processed, artificially flavoured treats currently on the market.dog treat The owner said the dog was dangerous, but when I fed it dog treats it would take them gently out of my hand.cat treat Our gourmet cat treats are made with the highest quality of protein and grains. Food - general words
  • aliment
  • animal product
  • bed
  • bowl of something
  • box scheme
  • eats
  • farm box
  • fast casual
  • fast food
  • fayre
  • munch
  • non-dairy
  • non-dairy milk
  • non-food
  • nosh
  • vegetable box
  • viands
  • victuals
  • whole food
  • zucchini noodles
See more results »

You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

Sweets Animal food

treat noun (PAY FOR)

my, your, etc. treat [ S ] an occasion when I, you, etc. buy or pay for something for another person: No, you paid for dinner last time - this is my treat. See more

Idiom

a treat

a treat

idiom UK informal very well; with good results: work a treat To prevent red wine from staining, put some salt on it - it works a treat.go down a treat That soup went down a treat (= was very enjoyable)!come up a treat I polished that old desk of grandma's and it came up a treat (= its appearance improved). Efficient and effective
  • be firing on all cylinders idiom
  • businesslike
  • clockwork
  • come together phrasal verb
  • cut through something phrasal verb
  • developed
  • efficiently
  • ergonomic
  • ergonomically
  • ergonomics
  • high-functioning
  • run/go like clockwork idiom
  • seamless
  • seamlessly
  • smoothly
  • snappily
  • work like a charm idiom
  • work wonders/miracles idiom
  • workable
  • worth your salt idiom
See more results »
(Definition of treat from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

treat | American Dictionary

treatverb us /trit/

treat verb (DEAL WITH)

Add to word list Add to word list [ T always + adv/prep ] to behave toward someone or deal with something in a particular way: He treated his children badly. She always tried to treat her students as/like adults.

treat verb (GIVE MEDICAL CARE)

[ T ] to do something to improve the condition of an ill or injured person, or to try to cure a disease: The hospital treats hundreds of patients a day. The new drug may allow us to treat diabetes more effectively.

treat verb (PUT IN NEW CONDITION)

[ T ] to change the condition of a substance by adding something to it or putting it through a special process: The sewage is treated with chemicals before being dumped.

treat verb (PAY FOR)

[ I/T ] to buy or pay for something for someone: [ T ] I’m going to treat myself to a new pair of sunglasses.

Idioms

treat someone like dirt treat someone with kid gloves treatnoun us /trit/

treat noun (SPECIAL EXPERIENCE)

[ C ] a special and enjoyable occasion or experience: It was a real treat seeing my old friends last weekend.

treat noun (PAYMENT)

[ U ] an occasion on which you pay for someone's food or entertainment: You paid for the taxi, so lunch is my treat (= I will pay). (Definition of treat from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

treat | Business English

treatverb [ T ] uk /triːt/ us Add to word list Add to word list to behave towards or think of someone or something in a particular way: treat sb/sth as sth We must treat employees as allies in achieving change.treat sb/sth equally/fairly/unfairly It very hard to prove that the company had been treated unfairly.treat sb/sth like sth The company treated their initial public offering more like a marketing opportunity than a capital-raising exercise. to deal with something in a particular way: Each Fund is treated as a single tax entity. The employment department said the unemployment figures should be treated with caution. PRODUCTION to put a special substance on something or put it through a special process, in order to protect it, clean it, or make it safe: treat sth with sth We treat the material with resin to make it waterproof. (Definition of treat from the Cambridge Business English Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

Examples of treat

treat It is especially worth noting that in the market, the price of organic food is at least twice that of food treated with chemicals. From the Cambridge English Corpus In so doing, he treats the parties' identities as having been established. From the Cambridge English Corpus A second relevant concern here is whether we can treat the 901 respondents in our sample as a random subset of all survey participants. From the Cambridge English Corpus The environments were considered as random variables while the genotypes were treated as fixed variables. From the Cambridge English Corpus All patients were treated just after the clinical diagnosis of plague (bubonic plague with cervical, inguinal or axillary buboes) and all patients recovered subsequently. From the Cambridge English Corpus Part of hospitals' revenues was then made dependent upon the number of patients treated and the patient mix. From the Cambridge English Corpus So how are we to understand the aspiration to reconcile themes, which have typically been treated as incompatible? From the Cambridge English Corpus One-time expenditure on screening could be substantially offset by savings in treating cancer cases in the long-term. From the Cambridge English Corpus The main limitations in treating metastatic disease include poor vector transduction efficiencies and difficulties in targeting remote tumour cells with systemic vector delivery. From the Cambridge English Corpus This figure is known as the 'intent to treat' effect. From the Cambridge English Corpus Simultaneously with the testing of pharmacokinetic properties, pharmacodynamic characteristics are also typically investigated in models of the disease the agent is intended to treat. From the Cambridge English Corpus Fourth, it is unclear how mono-lesion cases should be treated. From the Cambridge English Corpus Over 10 different surgical methods are available to treat obesity, and there are several variants of these methods. From the Cambridge English Corpus In a randomized placebo controlled trial, clinician-rated goal attainment scaling significantly distinguished the treated from the placebo group. From the Cambridge English Corpus Patients were treated with different psychotropic drugs prior to the study. From the Cambridge English Corpus These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors. What is the pronunciation of treat?

Translations of treat

in Chinese (Traditional) 對付, 對待, 給予治療… See more in Chinese (Simplified) 对付, 对待, 给予治疗… See more in Spanish tratar, invitar a alguien (a algo), darse el gusto (de algo)… See more in Portuguese tratar, convidar alguém (para algo), dar-se ao luxo (de algo)… See more in Marathi in Japanese in Turkish in French in Catalan in Dutch in Tamil in Hindi in Gujarati in Danish in Swedish in Malay in German in Norwegian in Urdu in Ukrainian in Telugu in Bengali in Czech in Indonesian in Thai in Vietnamese in Polish in Korean in Italian वागणूक देणे, उपचार देणे, खर्च करणे… See more ~を扱う, 待遇する, ~を治療する… See more davranmak, muamele etmek, ele almak… See more traiter, aborder, soigner… See more tractar, regal, luxe… See more behandelen, bewerken, trakteren… See more ஒருவரிடம் நடந்து கொள்ள அல்லது ஒரு குறிப்பிட்ட வழியில் ஏதாவது சமாளிக்க, மருந்துகள், பயிற்சிகள் போன்றவற்றைப் பயன்படுத்த. ஒரு நோயால் பாதிக்கப்பட்ட நபரை குணப்படுத்த அல்லது காயத்தை குணப்படுத்த… See more बर्ताव करना, (दवाई, व्यायाम आदि द्वारा) इलाज करना… See more વર્તવું, ઉપચાર, ભેટ તરીકે કંઈક ખરીદવા અથવા ચૂકવવા માટે… See more behandle, præparere, give… See more behandla, bjuda, avhandla… See more memperlakukan, merawat, belanja… See more behandeln, (sich) spendieren, das Extravergnügen… See more behandle, betrakte, spandere… See more سلوک کرنا, برتاؤ کرنا, معالجہ… See more поводитися, ставитися, лікувати… See more ఒకరి పట్ల ప్రవర్తించడం లేదా ఏదైనా ఒక నిర్దిష్ట మార్గంలో వ్యవహరించడం, చికిత్స, వేరే వారి కోసం ఒక దానిని కొనడం లేక డబ్బులు కట్టడం… See more নির্দিষ্টভাবে আচরণ করা, সারিয়ে তোলার জন্যে চিকিৎসা করা, অন্য ব্যক্তির জন্য কিছু কেনা বা অর্থ প্রদান করা… See more zacházet, považovat, léčit… See more memperlakukan, merawat, memroses… See more ปฏิบัติ, รักษา, ทำตามกระบวนการ… See more đối xử, điều trị, xử lý… See more traktować, leczyć, zapraszać… See more 대하다, 다루다, 치료하다… See more trattare, curare, regalo speciale… See more Need a translator?

Get a quick, free translation!

Translator tool

Browse

Treasury bond treasury management Treasury note treasury stock treat treat someone fairly treat someone like dirt idiom treat someone like royalty idiom treat someone with kid gloves idiom {{#randomImageQuizHook.filename}} {{#randomImageQuizHook.isQuiz}} Test your vocabulary with our fun image quizzes Try a quiz now {{/randomImageQuizHook.isQuiz}} {{^randomImageQuizHook.isQuiz}} {{/randomImageQuizHook.isQuiz}} {{/randomImageQuizHook.filename}}

More meanings of treat

  • ill-treat
  • pre-treat
  • overtreat
  • treat someone fairly
  • under-treat, at undertreat
  • treat someone like dirt idiom
  • treat someone with kid gloves idiom
See all meanings
  • treat someone like dirt idiom
  • treat someone with kid gloves idiom
  • trick or treat phrase
  • work a treat idiom
  • my, your, etc. treat phrase
  • treat someone like royalty idiom
  • work a treat, at work wonders/miracles idiom
See all idioms and phrases

Word of the Day

in all modesty

said when you want to say something good about yourself, but do not want to seem to think you are too important

About this

Blog

It’s your own fault! Talking about deserving bad things.

February 18, 2026 Read More

New Words

treatonomics February 16, 2026 More new words has been added to list To top AI icon AI Assistant Contents EnglishAmericanBusinessExamplesTranslations AI icon AI Assistant {{#displayLoginPopup}} Cambridge Dictionary +Plus

Learn more with +Plus

Sign up for free and get access to exclusive content: Free word lists and quizzes from Cambridge Tools to create your own word lists and quizzes Word lists shared by our community of dictionary fans Sign up now or Log in Cambridge Dictionary +Plus

Learn more with +Plus

Create word lists and quizzes for free Sign up now or Log in {{/displayLoginPopup}} {{#displayClassicSurvey}} {{/displayClassicSurvey}}
  • Cambridge Dictionary +Plus
  • My profile
  • +Plus help
  • Log out
AI Assistant Dictionary Definitions Clear explanations of natural written and spoken English English Learner’s Dictionary Essential British English Essential American English Translations Click on the arrows to change the translation direction. Bilingual Dictionaries English–Chinese (Simplified) Chinese (Simplified)–English English–Chinese (Traditional) Chinese (Traditional)–English English–Danish Danish–English English–Dutch Dutch–English English–French French–English English–German German–English English–Indonesian Indonesian–English English–Italian Italian–English English–Japanese Japanese–English English–Norwegian Norwegian–English English–Polish Polish–English English–Portuguese Portuguese–English English–Spanish Spanish–English English–Swedish Swedish–English Semi-bilingual Dictionaries English–Arabic English–Bengali English–Catalan English–Czech English–Gujarati English–Hindi English–Korean English–Malay English–Marathi English–Russian English–Tamil English–Telugu English–Thai English–Turkish English–Ukrainian English–Urdu English–Vietnamese Translate Grammar Thesaurus Pronunciation Cambridge Dictionary +Plus Games {{userName}}
  • Cambridge Dictionary +Plus
  • My profile
  • +Plus help
  • Log out
Log in / Sign up English (UK) Change English (UK) English (US) Español Português 中文 (简体) 正體中文 (繁體) Dansk Deutsch Français Italiano Nederlands Norsk Polski Русский Türkçe Tiếng Việt Svenska Українська 日本語 한국어 ગુજરાતી தமிழ் తెలుగు বাঙ্গালি मराठी हिंदी Follow us Choose a dictionary
  • Recent and Recommended {{#preferredDictionaries}} {{name}} {{/preferredDictionaries}}
  • Definitions Clear explanations of natural written and spoken English English Learner’s Dictionary Essential British English Essential American English
  • Grammar and thesaurus Usage explanations of natural written and spoken English Grammar Thesaurus
  • Pronunciation British and American pronunciations with audio English Pronunciation
  • Translation Click on the arrows to change the translation direction. Bilingual Dictionaries
    • English–Chinese (Simplified) Chinese (Simplified)–English
    • English–Chinese (Traditional) Chinese (Traditional)–English
    • English–Danish Danish–English
    • English–Dutch Dutch–English
    • English–French French–English
    • English–German German–English
    • English–Indonesian Indonesian–English
    • English–Italian Italian–English
    • English–Japanese Japanese–English
    • English–Norwegian Norwegian–English
    • English–Polish Polish–English
    • English–Portuguese Portuguese–English
    • English–Spanish Spanish–English
    • English–Swedish Swedish–English
    Semi-bilingual Dictionaries English–Arabic English–Bengali English–Catalan English–Czech English–Gujarati English–Hindi English–Korean English–Malay English–Marathi English–Russian English–Tamil English–Telugu English–Thai English–Turkish English–Ukrainian English–Urdu English–Vietnamese
  • Dictionary +Plus Word Lists
Choose your language English (UK) English (US) Español Português 中文 (简体) 正體中文 (繁體) Dansk Deutsch Français Italiano Nederlands Norsk Polski Русский Türkçe Tiếng Việt Svenska Українська 日本語 한국어 ગુજરાતી தமிழ் తెలుగు বাঙ্গালি मराठी हिंदी Contents
  • English   
    • Verb 
      • treat (DEAL WITH)
      • treat (GIVE MEDICAL CARE)
      • treat (PAY FOR)
      • treat (PUT ON)
    • Noun 
      • treat (SOMETHING SPECIAL)
      • treat (TO EAT)
      • treat (PAY FOR)
      • my, your, etc. treat
    Idiom
  • American   
    • Verb 
      • treat (DEAL WITH)
      • treat (GIVE MEDICAL CARE)
      • treat (PUT IN NEW CONDITION)
      • treat (PAY FOR)
    • Noun 
      • treat (SPECIAL EXPERIENCE)
      • treat (PAYMENT)
  • Business   Verb
  • Examples
  • Translations
  • Grammar
  • All translations
My word lists

To add treat to a word list please sign up or log in.

Sign up or Log in My word lists

Add treat to one of your lists below, or create a new one.

{{#verifyErrors}}

{{message}}

{{/verifyErrors}} {{^verifyErrors}} {{#message}}

{{message}}

{{/message}} {{^message}}

Something went wrong.

{{/message}} {{/verifyErrors}} {{name}} More Go to your word lists {{#verifyErrors}}

{{message}}

{{/verifyErrors}} {{^verifyErrors}} {{#message}}

{{message}}

{{/message}} {{^message}}

Something went wrong.

{{/message}} {{/verifyErrors}} Tell us about this example sentence: The word in the example sentence does not match the entry word. The sentence contains offensive content. Cancel Submit Thanks! Your feedback will be reviewed. {{#verifyErrors}}

{{message}}

{{/verifyErrors}} {{^verifyErrors}} {{#message}}

{{message}}

{{/message}} {{^message}}

There was a problem sending your report.

{{/message}} {{/verifyErrors}} The word in the example sentence does not match the entry word. The sentence contains offensive content. Cancel Submit Thanks! Your feedback will be reviewed. {{#verifyErrors}}

{{message}}

{{/verifyErrors}} {{^verifyErrors}} {{#message}}

{{message}}

{{/message}} {{^message}}

There was a problem sending your report.

{{/message}} {{/verifyErrors}}

Tag » How Do You Spell Treated