tread

TRED/tɹɛd/

Noun pluraltreads

21 meanings of tread

1
walk oververbintransitive
To step or walk on or across something.
Be careful where you tread in the dark.
She trod on my foot during the dance.
Similarstep, walk, trample
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2
tire groovesnouncountable or uncountable
The lines cut into a tire that help it grip the road.
The tread on my bike tires is almost gone.
Check the tread on your tires before you drive in the snow.
3
act carefullyverbfigurativelyintransitive
To act in a certain way, usually with words like carefully or gently.
You should tread carefully when you talk to her about money.
The new coach is treading gently with the younger players.
Similarproceed, move, act
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4
verbtransitive
To walk on or along something.
Thousands of pilgrims tread this path every year.
She trod the same streets she had walked as a child.
Similarwalk, tramp
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5
single stepnouncountable
A step you take with your foot.
With each tread, he sank deeper into the soft mud.
The thin ice cracked under her first tread.
Similarstep, footstep, pace
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6
shoe groovesnouncountable
The lines on the bottom of a shoe that stop you from slipping.
These hiking boots have a deep tread for muddy trails.
The tread on his sneakers had worn smooth.
7
stair surfacenouncountable
The flat part of a stair that you put your foot on.
The top tread of the stairs is loose.
We put carpet on each tread so nobody would slip.
Similarstep
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8
way of walkingnouncountable
The way someone walks or steps.
The old dog walked with a slow, stiff tread.
The dancer crossed the floor with a light, quick tread.
Similarstep, gait, walk, stride
9
sound of stepsnouncountable
The sound someone or something makes when walking.
We heard the heavy tread of boots on the stairs.
The tread of the horses grew louder as they came closer.
Similarfootfall, step
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10
trample (scorn)verbtransitive
To crush something under your feet, or to keep people down by force.
Angry fans trod the team's flag into the mud.
The cruel king would tread his people underfoot for years.
Similartrample, crush, stamp, grind
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11
verbtransitive
To press something down hard with your feet.
Tread the soil firmly around the new tree.
Hikers have trodden a path across the meadow.
Similartrample, beat, stamp
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12
make wineverbtransitive
To crush grapes with your feet to make wine.
At the harvest party, the kids got to tread the grapes in a big wooden tub.
Workers trod the grapes all night so the juice would be ready by morning.
Similarstomp
13
verbtransitive
To walk or dance your way through something, such as a journey or a dance.
Each spring the villagers tread the whole pilgrimage to the old church on foot.
The couple trod a slow waltz across the empty room.
Similarwalk, dance
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14
work (pedal)verbtransitive
To work a pedal, lever, or similar part by pressing it with your foot.
My grandmother would tread the pedal of her old sewing machine for hours.
He trod the bellows to keep the fire in the forge hot.
Similarwork, pump
15
mate (birds)verbintransitive
Of birds, especially male birds, to mate.
When the doves tread in spring, they soon build a nest.
Our ducks trod for the first time this week, so we may have ducklings soon.
Similarmate, copulate
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16
single matingnouncountable
The act of mating in birds, when the male stands on the female's back.
After each tread, the hen shook out her feathers and walked away.
The farmer saw several treads in the henhouse that morning.
Similarmating
17
verbtransitive
Of a male bird, to mate with another bird.
The young rooster is not yet old enough to tread the hens.
The drake trod the duck at the edge of the pond.
Similarmount
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18
horse bruisenouncountable
A cut or bruise on a horse's foot or ankle, made when its feet hit each other.
The vet cleaned the tread on the mare's back ankle.
Boots on its legs keep the young horse from getting treads.
19
egg strandnouncountable
One of the white, twisted strings inside a bird's egg that hold the yolk in place.
She picked the tread out of the egg before making the custard.
A fresh egg has a thick, easy-to-see tread on each side of the yolk.
Similarchalaza
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20
firing stepnouncountable
The flat top of a raised step behind a wall, where soldiers stand to shoot over it.
The soldiers climbed onto the tread and aimed their rifles over the wall.
Rain made the tread so slippery that the guards could hardly stand.
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21
tracknounobsolete
A path or track that you can follow.
A narrow tread led through the tall grass to the river.
And the queint Mazes in the wanton greene, For lacke of tread are vndistinguishable.
c. 1595, William Shakespeare, “A Midsommer Nights Dreame”Here, tread means a path or track that people walk along.
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Practice

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Origins

Meanings 1, 3–4, 10–15, 17

From the Old English word tredan.

Meanings 2, 5–9, 16, 18–21

From the Middle English verb treden, "to tread".