to tread

Examples

• All

• It's the coldest day of the year as I tread up Ash Street through the new snow.

  Fiction book (1993)

• And, of course, readers of judicial opinions must tread carefully when attaching significance to short, under-theorized passages.

  Academic text (2018)

• No one has ever tread before where we are now.

  Miami Vice (2006)

• But if you do find something, tread lightly.

  Blacklight (2022)

• All of these factors suggest that the government should tread very carefully in the area of innovation competition.

  Academic text (1995)

• But we still have to tread carefully with the politicians.

  RoboCop (2014)

• We all tread our own paths here at Stanford.

  Stanford

• Then they fill up the hole with earth to close it, treading it and packing it in.

  Academic text (1995)

• Thus, prosecutors Clark and William Hodgman have been treading cautiously around the issue.

  Academic text (1994)

• Be careful where you tread in the garden; there are many fragile plants.

Synonyms

W

to walk

vsto tread

∞ 1.0

To move on foot at a normal speed

can be heavier or involve pressing and crushing underfoot

S

to step

vsto tread

∞ 1.0

To move by lifting and putting down a foot when walking

is often heavier and can press or crush things underfoot

S

to step on

vsto tread

95 1.0

To put your foot on something, often by accident

is similar but also includes deliberate heavy pressing and crushing

T

to trample

vsto tread

82 4.4

To step heavily on something and damage it

covers heavy foot action more broadly, not only destructive contact

S

to stamp

vsto tread

24 1.4

To walk with heavy, loud steps that make noise

can include force but also weaker foot pressure without noise

T

to trudge

vsto tread

21 5.5

To walk slowly with heavy steps because you are tired

is broader and can be quick, light, or heavy, not only slow

T

to tramp

vsto tread

17 5.5

To walk with heavy steps, often over rough ground

is general foot movement, not focused on long effortful travel

P

to pound

vsto tread

11 3.1

To walk with heavy noisy steps that make a loud sound

is any foot movement, sometimes heavy but not always forceful

T

to tromp

vsto tread

8 6.3

To walk with heavy noisy steps that make loud sounds

is a more neutral foot action that may or may not crush

T

to tread on

vsto tread

7 3.3

To put your foot on something, often by accident

is heavier and may crush or apply strong downward pressure

H

to hoof it

vsto tread

• Informal

7 8.8

Walk somewhere instead of going by car or bus

is a more general foot action that can be light or heavy

C

to clomp

vsto tread

4 7.5

To walk with heavy, noisy steps that make a loud sound

is any stepping action, not specifically clumsy or noisy

T

to tread down

vsto tread

5.3

Make something flat by walking on it again and again

is the general action of foot pressure, not only repeated crushing

T

to tramp down

vsto tread

5.6

To make soil or grass flat by walking on it hard many times

can mean heavy foot action but not always repeated crushing

Antonyms

L

to lift

553 1.0

To raise something higher by hand or with a machine

Idioms

T

to tread the boards

1 8.6

To act on a stage in front of an audience

Phrasal Verbs

T

to tread lightly

9 5.6

To act carefully to avoid hurting feelings or making mistakes

T

to tread on

7 3.3

To put your foot on something, often by accident

T

to tread carefully

6 3.9

Act carefully to avoid mistakes, danger, or upsetting others

T

to tread down

5.3

Make something flat by walking on it again and again

Compounds

C

caterpillar tread

• Specialized

6.0

A continuous metal belt that helps vehicles like tanks and bulldozers move over rough ground

T

tread-softly

• Specialized

9.9

A tropical plant with stinging hairs that make the skin hurt

T

tread-wheel

• Archaic

9.9

A large wheel turned by people or animals walking inside it to power a mill

How Heavy

to trample

82 4.4

to stamp

20 4.3

to tread

93 3.0

to step

∞ 1.0

to tiptoe

44 3.1

Surface Forms

Etymology