How to Use pretreat in a Sentence

pretreat

verb
  • Use a small dab of wool wash or Castile soap to pretreat visible stains.
    — Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 29 Dec. 2025
  • 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
  • Check the blanket for visible stains and pretreat each stain by dampening the stained area with water and adding a few drops of a mild detergent or dish soap.
    — Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 18 Jan. 2026
  • Dab them gently and pretreat with cool water, laundry detergent, or your favorite laundry stain remover.
    — Melissa Locker, Southern Living, 9 Jan. 2026
  • Pretreat Stains Baking soda can be used to pretreat stains prior to laundering.
    — Jolie Kerr, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 Nov. 2025
  • 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
  • For stubborn stains, pretreat them with the appropriate solution before tackling the more wipeable messes.
    — Patricia Shannon, Southern Living, 4 June 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
  • In areas with the greatest weather impact, the crews will pretreat the outsides lanes on Intestate 85, 985 and key interstate ramps and connectors.
    — Troy Bridges, CBS News, 29 Jan. 2026
  • Ecovacs’ latest flagship robot vacuum and mop can pretreat stains, keep carpets dry with a smart mop cover, and deliver powerful 22,000Pa suction.
    — Sheena Vasani, The Verge, 24 June 2026
  • Similarly, liquid laundry detergent, which typically contains enzymes and other stain-fighting agents, can be used to pretreat and remove stains from clothing, as well as from upholstered fabrics, carpets, rugs, and other textiles.
    — Jolie Kerr, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 Apr. 2026

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pretreat.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Last Updated: