tread (tr?d)v. trod (tr?d) or treaded, trod·den (tr?d?n) or trod or treaded, tread·ing, treads v.tr.1. To walk on, over, or along: tread the pavement.2. To press beneath the feet; trample: dirt that was trodden into the rug.3. To treat unjustly or harshly; oppress: people who were trodden down by tyrants.4. To form by walking or trampling: tread a path.5. To execute by walking or dancing: tread a measure.6. To copulate with. Used of a male bird.v.intr.1. a. To go on foot; walk.b. To set down the foot; step.2. a. To trample something. Used with on or upon: Don’t tread on the new grass.b. To treat someone or something unjustly or harshly. Used with on or upon: a regime treading upon the rights of the citizens.3. To copulate. Used of birds.n.1. a. The act, manner, or sound of treading.b. An instance of treading; a step.c. A mark made by treading, as in snow.2. The upper horizontal part of a step in a staircase.3. a. The part of a wheel or tire that makes contact with the road or rails.b. The grooved face of a tire.4. The part of a shoe sole that touches the ground.5. Either of the continuous ridged belts with which bulldozers, tanks, and certain other vehicles move over the ground.Idioms: tread the boards To act on the stage: “We who tread the boards are not the only players of parts in this world” (John Fowles). tread water1. To keep the head above water while in an upright position by pumping the legs.2. To expend effort but make little or no progress to achievement of a goal or an end.[Middle English treden, from Old English tredan.]tread?less adj.American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.tread (tr?d) vb, treads, treading, trod, trodden or trod1. to walk or trample in, on, over, or across (something)2. (when: intr, foll by on) to crush or squash by or as if by treading: to tread grapes; to tread on a spider. 3. (sometimes foll by: on) to subdue or repress, as by doing injury (to): to tread on one’s inferiors. 4. (tr) to do by walking or dancing: to tread a measure. 5. (Zoology) (tr) (of a male bird) to copulate with (a female bird)6. tread lightly to proceed with delicacy or tact7. tread on someone’s toes to offend or insult someone, esp by infringing on his sphere of action, etc8. (Swimming, Water Sports & Surfing) tread water to stay afloat in an upright position by moving the legs in a walking motionn9. a manner or style of walking, dancing, etc: a light tread. 10. the act of treading11. (Building) the top surface of a step in a staircase12. (Automotive Engineering) the outer part of a tyre or wheel that makes contact with the road, esp the grooved surface of a pneumatic tyre13. (Railways) the part of a rail that wheels touch14. the part of a shoe that is generally in contact with the ground15. (Veterinary Science) vet science an injury to a horse’s foot caused by the opposite foot, or the foot of another horse16. a rare word for footprint[Old English tredan; related to Old Norse trotha , Old High German tretan, Swedish träda] ?treader nCollins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014tread (tr?d) v. trod, trod?den trod, tread?ing, v.i. 1. to set down the foot or feet in walking; step; walk. 2. to step or walk, esp. so as to press, crush, or injure something; trample (usu. fol. by on or upon). 3. (of a male bird) to copulate. v.t. 4. to step or walk on, about, in, or along. 5. to trample or crush underfoot. 6. to form by the action of walking or trampling: to tread a path. 7. to treat with disdainful harshness or cruelty; crush; oppress. 8. to perform by walking or dancing: to tread a measure. 9. (of a male bird) to copulate with (a female bird). n. 10. the action of treading. 11. the sound of footsteps. 12. manner of treading or walking. 13. a single step. 14. any of various things or parts on which a person or thing treads, stands, or moves. 15. the horizontal upper surface of a step in a stair. 16. the part of a wheel, tire, or runner that bears on the road, rail, etc. 17. the pattern raised on or cut into the face of a rubber tire. 18. the part of a rail in contact with the treads of wheels. 19. the part of the undersurface of the foot or of a shoe that touches the ground. Idioms: 1. tread on someone’s toes, to offend or irritate someone. 2. tread water, a. to maintain the body erect in the water with the head above the surface, usu. by a pumping movement of the legs and sometimes the arms. b. to maintain one’s position without making any progress. [before 900; Middle English treden (v.), Old English tredan, c. Old High German tretan; akin to Old Norse trotha, Gothic trudan] tread?er, n. Random House Kernerman Webster’s College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.treadPast participle: troddenGerund: treadingImperativePresentPreteritePresent ContinuousPresent PerfectPast ContinuousPast PerfectFutureFuture PerfectFuture ContinuousPresent Perfect ContinuousFuture Perfect ContinuousPast Perfect ContinuousConditionalPast ConditionalImperativetreadtreadPresentI treadyou treadhe/she/it treadswe treadyou treadthey treadPreteriteI trodyou trodhe/she/it trodwe trodyou trodthey trodPresent ContinuousI am treadingyou are treadinghe/she/it is treadingwe are treadingyou are treadingthey are treadingPresent PerfectI have troddenyou have troddenhe/she/it has troddenwe have troddenyou have troddenthey have troddenPast ContinuousI was treadingyou were treadinghe/she/it was treadingwe were treadingyou were treadingthey were treadingPast PerfectI had troddenyou had troddenhe/she/it had troddenwe had troddenyou had troddenthey had troddenFutureI will treadyou will treadhe/she/it will treadwe will treadyou will treadthey will treadFuture PerfectI will have troddenyou will have troddenhe/she/it will have troddenwe will have troddenyou will have troddenthey will have troddenFuture ContinuousI will be treadingyou will be treadinghe/she/it will be treadingwe will be treadingyou will be treadingthey will be treadingPresent Perfect ContinuousI have been treadingyou have been treadinghe/she/it has been treadingwe have been treadingyou have been treadingthey have been treadingFuture Perfect ContinuousI will have been treadingyou will have been treadinghe/she/it will have been treadingwe will have been treadingyou will have been treadingthey will have been treadingPast Perfect ContinuousI had been treadingyou had been treadinghe/she/it had been treadingwe had been treadingyou had been treadingthey had been treadingConditionalI would treadyou would treadhe/she/it would treadwe would treadyou would treadthey would treadPast ConditionalI would have troddenyou would have troddenhe/she/it would have troddenwe would have troddenyou would have troddenthey would have troddenCollins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011