/ English Dictionary

TREAT

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

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)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Something considered choice to eat

Synonyms:

dainty; delicacy; goody; kickshaw; treat

Classified under:

Nouns denoting foods and drinks

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"):

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

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)

Derivation:

treat (provide with choice or abundant food or drink)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Provide treatment for

Example:

Treat the infection with antibiotics

Synonyms:

care for; treat

Classified under:

Verbs of grooming, dressing and bodily care

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

administer; dispense (give or apply (medications))

relieve; remedy (provide relief for)

dress (apply a bandage or medication to)

splint (support with a splint)

operate; operate on (perform surgery on)

medicate; medicine (treat medicinally, treat with medicine)

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)

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)

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

doctor (give medical treatment to)

vet (provide (a person) with medical care)

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

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

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 2

Meaning:

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

Example:

treat an oil spill

Synonyms:

process; treat

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

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"):

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

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)

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)

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)

camphorate (treat with camphor)

bromate; brominate (treat with bromine)

ammoniate (treat with ammonia)

irradiate; ray (expose to radiation)

scald (treat with boiling water)

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

Sentence frames:

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

Derivation:

treatment (the management of someone or something)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Regard or consider in a specific way

Example:

I treated his advances as a joke

Classified under:

Verbs of thinking, judging, analyzing, doubting

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

Sense 4

Meaning:

Engage in negotiations in order to reach an agreement

Example:

they had to treat with the King

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

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 5

Meaning:

Act on verbally or in some form of artistic expression

Example:

The new book treats the history of China

Synonyms:

address; cover; deal; handle; plow; treat

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

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"):

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

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

Sentence frames:

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

Derivation:

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

Sense 6

Meaning:

Provide with choice or abundant food or drink

Example:

She treated her houseguests with good food every night

Synonyms:

regale; treat

Classified under:

Verbs of eating and drinking

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)

alcoholize (subject to the influence of alcohol)

feast; feed (gratify)

Sentence frames:

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

Derivation:

treat (something considered choice to eat)

Sense 7

Meaning:

Provide with a gift or entertainment

Example:

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

Classified under:

Verbs of buying, selling, owning

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 8

Meaning:

Interact in a certain way

Example:

Handle the press reporters gently

Synonyms:

do by; handle; treat

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

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"):

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

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

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

do well by (treat with respect and consideration)

brutalise; brutalize (treat brutally)

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

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

ride roughshod; run roughshod (treat inconsiderately or harshly)

strong-arm (handle roughly)

nurse (treat carefully)

criminalize (treat as a criminal)

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

wrong (treat unjustly; do wrong to)

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

bemock; mock (treat with contempt)

Sentence frames:

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

Credits

 Context examples: 

A regimen consisting of doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, vindesine, bleomycin and prednisone used to treat aggressive forms of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

(ACVBP Regimen, NCI Thesaurus)

"Can't you see these are strangers, and should be treated with respect?"

(The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum)

I have not treated her ungenerously, and she had no just cause of complaint against me, but you know what women are, Mr. Holmes.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

“I get so little active exercise that it is always a treat,” said he.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

And yet it was in precisely this way that he was treated.

(White Fang, by Jack London)

"I'm glad it's over with," he said. "You've treated me like a Christian, an' I'm thankin' you hearty for your kindness."

(Love of Life and Other Stories, by Jack London)

“There's a friend, if you talk of friends! Why, Lord love my heart alive, if it ain't a treat to look at him!”

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

Never in all his life had he been so vilely treated, and never in all his life had he been so angry.

(The Call of the Wild, by Jack London)

She was not equal, however, to much conversation, and when Miss Bingley left them together, could attempt little besides expressions of gratitude for the extraordinary kindness she was treated with.

(Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen)

Monitor your health, and if you need more rest, treat yourself to more sleep.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

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