tread

Universal Words verb, noun verb (trod or trod) 1 [V] ~ (on / in / over sth/sb) (especially BrE) to put your foot down while you are stepping or walking: Ouch! You trod on my toe! * Careful you don't tread in that puddle. 2 [VN] [usually +adv./prep.] to crush or press sth with your feet: Don't tread ash into the carpet! * The wine is still made by treading grapes in the traditional way. 3 (formal or literary) to walk somewhere: [VN] Few people had trod this path before. * [V] He was treading quietly and cautiously. IDIOMS tread carefully, warily, etc. to be very careful about what you do or say: The government will have to tread very carefully in handling this issue. tread a difficult, dangerous, solitary, etc. path to choose and follow a particular way of life, way of doing sth, etc: A restaurant has to tread the tricky path between maintaining quality and keeping prices down. tread on sb's heels to follow sb closely tread on sb's toes (especially BrE) (AmE usually step on sb's toes) (informal) to offend or annoy sb, especially by getting involved in sth that is their responsibility: I don't want to tread on anybody's toes so I'll keep quiet. tread water 1 to keep yourself upright in deep water by moving your arms and legs 2 to make no progress while you are waiting for sth to happen: I decided to tread water until a better job came along. moreatLINEn., TIGHTROPE noun 1 [sing.] the way that sb walks; the sound that sb makes when they walk: I heard his heavy tread on the stairs. 2 [C,U] the raised pattern on the surface of a tyre on a vehicle: The tyres were worn below the legal limit of 1.6 mm of tread. 3 [C] the upper surface of a step or STAIR compareRISER