treat

I UK [triːt] / US [trɪt] verb [transitive]
Word forms "treat":
present tense I/you/we/they treat he/she/it treats present participle treating past tense treated past participle treated
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1) to behave towards someone in a particular way

She felt she had been unfairly treated, and complained to her boss.

You should treat others politely.

treat someone with respect/kindness/contempt:

We all treated my grandfather with the greatest respect.

treat someone like/as something:

I wish you would stop treating me like a child!

treat someone like royalty (= treat someone very well):

Guests of the family are treated like royalty.

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Collocations:
Adverbs frequently used with treat
▪  badly, cruelly, equally, fairly, harshly, leniently, shabbily, unfairly, unjustly

2)

a) to deal with something in a particular way

The council said that it would treat her case sympathetically.

treat something as something:

These payments will be treated as income.

treat something with caution/scepticism/suspicion:

You should treat this new evidence with caution.

b) to discuss something by speaking or writing about it

Is the subject of neglected women artists treated in the course?

3) [often passive] to use medicine or medical methods to cure a patient or an illness

Vitamin deficiency can be properly diagnosed and treated by a doctor.

treat someone for something:

She was treated for smoke inhalation.

treat someone/something with something:

Patients are treated with a combination of medication and exercise.

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Collocations:
Nouns frequently used as objects of treat
▪  ailment, disease, disorder, illness, patient, symptom

4) to put a substance on something in order to protect it or make it stronger

Fabrics are treated to make them water-resistant.

treat something with something:

The wood is treated with chemicals to preserve it.

5) to do or to buy something special for yourself or someone else

treat yourself to something:

She treated herself to a nice hot bubble bath.

treat someone to something:

Bob treated us all to dinner at an expensive restaurant.

Phrasal verbs:

- treat with

II UK [triːt] / US [trɪt] noun
Word forms "treat":
singular treat plural treats
*

1) [countable] something special that you do or buy for yourself or someone else

It's a real treat to see you again.

As a special treat, we were allowed to stay up until midnight.

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Collocations:
Adjectives frequently used with treat
▪  great, occasional, rare, real, special

2) [singular] an occasion when you pay for something for someone else

I'd like this lunch to be my treat.

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- be in for a treat

- a treat

See:

trick or treat