ill-treat

[ il-treet ]
See synonyms for: ill-treatill-treatment on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)
  1. to treat badly; maltreat; abuse.

Origin of ill-treat

1
First recorded in 1695–1705

Other words from ill-treat

  • ill-treatment, noun

Words Nearby ill-treat

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use ill-treat in a sentence

  • You can't ill-treat a woman; you can't damage her features and knock her teeth out.

    The Weight of the Crown | Fred M. White
  • Although this proclamation was made, yet the people did not cease to ill treat us, and cry after us, as we went along.

  • She was an angel, Sanders went about whining when he had no longer a woman to ill-treat.

    A Window in Thrums | J. M. Barrie
  • He begged them not to ill-treat a friendless boy; but to let him return176 home in safety.

  • The 'prentices now began to insult and ill-treat them as they passed along the street, and several fled from the city.

    Bygone London | Frederick Ross

British Dictionary definitions for ill-treat

ill-treat

verb
  1. (tr) to behave cruelly or harshly towards; misuse; maltreat

Derived forms of ill-treat

  • ill-treatment, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012