Definition

1. Noun:

   • A special event or item that gives pleasure: Something that provides enjoyment or delight, often as a reward or on a special occasion.
   • A choice food item: Something considered delicious or a delicacy.

2. Verb:

   • To behave towards or deal with in a certain way: To act or interact with someone or something in a specified manner.
   • To provide medical care: To give medical attention to an illness or injury.
   • To pay for someone else's enjoyment: To provide something like a meal, gift, or entertainment at one's own expense.
   • To process or apply a substance: To subject something to a chemical or physical process to change or preserve it.
   • To discuss or handle a subject: To write or speak about a topic in a detailed way.

Examples

• Noun:

  • Going to the ice cream parlor was a real treat for the children.
  • These chocolates are a special treat I save for guests.

• Verb:

  • You should treat your colleagues with respect.
  • The doctor will treat the patient's infection.
  • Let me treat you to lunch today.
  • They treat the wood to make it waterproof.
  • The next chapter will treat the issue of climate change in detail.

Advanced Usage

• "treat as": To regard or consider something in a specific way.

  • The court decided to treat the statement as evidence.

• "treat with":

  • To negotiate or deal with someone.

    • The rebels agreed to treat with the government.
  • To use a specific substance in medical care or processing.

    • Treat the fabric with a stain repellent.

Variants and Related Words

• Treatment (n): The way someone or something is dealt with; medical care.

  • The patient responded well to the new treatment.

• Treatable (adj): Able to be medically cured or improved.

  • Fortunately, the disease is treatable with antibiotics.

Synonyms

• Noun: Delight, pleasure, luxury.
• Verb: Handle, deal with, nurse, pay for, process, discuss.

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Treat to: To buy or provide something special for someone.

  • He treated his family to a vacation in Hawaii.

• Treat of (formal): To have as a subject; to discuss.

  • The article treats of the economic reforms of the 1990s.

Related Idioms

• Trick or treat: A phrase said by children at Halloween when they visit houses asking for candy.

  • The kids dressed up as ghosts and went door-to-door saying "trick or treat!".

• Go down a treat (British, informal): To be very enjoyable or successful.

  • The homemade cake went down a treat at the party.

Noun

1. an occurrence that causes special pleasure or delight
2. something considered choice to eat

Verb

1. regard or consider in a specific way
   • I treated his advances as a joke
2. engage in negotiations in order to reach an agreement
   • they had to treat with the King
3. provide with choice or abundant food or drink
   • Don't worry about the expensive wine--I'm treating
   • She treated her houseguests with good food every night
4. provide with a gift or entertainment
   • Grandmother always treated us to the circus
   • I like to treat myself to a day at a spa when I am depressed
5. act on verbally or in some form of artistic expression
   • This book deals with incest
   • The course covered all of Western Civilization
   • The new book treats the history of China
6. provide treatment for
   • The doctor treated my broken leg
   • The nurses cared for the bomb victims
   • The patient must be treated right away or she will die
   • Treat the infection with antibiotics
7. subject to a process or treatment, with the aim of readying for some purpose, improving, or remedying a condition
   • process cheese
   • process hair
   • treat the water so it can be drunk
   • treat the lawn with chemicals
   • treat an oil spill
8. interact in a certain way
   • Do right by her
   • Treat him with caution, please
   • Handle the press reporters gently