tread

tread¹ [tred] v past tense trod [trɔd US tra:d] past participle trodden [ˈtrɔdn US ˈtra:dn]

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1¦(step in/on)¦

2 tread carefully/warily/cautiously etc

3¦(crush)¦

4 tread a path

5 tread water

6¦(walk)¦

7 tread the boards

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[: Old English; Origin: tredan]

1.) ¦(STEP IN/ON)¦ [I always + adverb/preposition]

BrE to put your foot on or in something while you are walking

= ↑step tread in/on

▪ Sorry, did I tread on your foot?

▪ She trod barefoot on the soft grass.

2.) tread carefully/warily/cautiously etc

to be very careful about what you say or do in a difficult situation

▪ If I wanted to keep my job, I knew I'd have to tread lightly.

3.) ¦(CRUSH)¦

a) [T] BrE

to press or crush something into the floor or ground with your feet

American Equivalent: tracktread sth into/onto/over sth

▪ Stop treading mud all over my clean kitchen floor!

▪ Bits of the broken vase got trodden into the carpet.

b) tread grapes

to crush ↑grapes with your feet in order to produce juice for making wine

4.) tread a path

BrE written to take a particular action or series of actions

▪ Getting the right balance between home and work is a difficult path to tread.

5.) tread water

past tense and past participle treaded

a) to stay floating upright in deep water by moving your legs as if you are riding a bicycle

b) to make no progress in a particular situation, especially because you are waiting for something to happen

▪ All I could do was tread water until the contracts arrived.

6.) ¦(WALK)¦ [I,T always + adverb/preposition]

literary to walk

▪ David trod wearily along behind the others.

7.) tread the boards

humorous to work as an actor

→tread on sb's toes at ↑toe¹ (3)

tread ²

tread² n

↑tread

1.) [U and C]

the pattern of lines on the part of a tyre that touches the road

2.)

the part of a stair that you put your foot on

3.) [singular] literary

the particular sound that someone makes when they walk

▪ I heard the back door bang, and Rex's tread in the hall.