pretreat

verb

pre·​treat ˌprē-ˈtrēt How to pronounce pretreat (audio)
variants or pre-treat
pretreated or pre-treated; pretreating or pre-treating

transitive verb

: to treat previously : to subject to pretreatment
pretreat the stain before washing
pretreated the roads with sand/salt before the snowstorm
pretreating wastewater
… he now pretreats patients with medicines to counter possible reactions.—Elisabeth Rosenthal

Examples of pretreat in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Across the state, there are 439 trucks on hand to pretreat and plow roadways. — Sara Gregory, AJC.com, 22 Jan. 2026 Mix equal parts of vinegar and water and apply it directly to stains to pretreat them before laundering. — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 27 June 2026 Pretreatment streets The city will pretreat some streets before storms with a liquid brine to try to prevent the snow and ice from bonding to the road surface. — Cameron Knight, Cincinnati Enquirer, 27 Jan. 2026 Rain was complicating efforts to pretreat roads with salt in Alabama on Wednesday because precipitation washes away the brine. — Emilie Megnien, Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for pretreat

Word History

First Known Use

1926, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of pretreat was in 1926

Rhymes for pretreat

See All Rhymes for pretreat

Browse Nearby Words

pretravel
pretreat
pretreatment
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Pretreat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pretreat. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

pretreat

verb
pre·​treat
(ˈ)prē-ˈtrēt
: to treat (as soiled clothes) before laundering
pretreatment
-mənt
noun

Medical Definition

pretreat

transitive verb
pre·​treat -ˈtrēt How to pronounce pretreat (audio)
: to subject to pretreatment
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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