pretreat
verb
pre·treat
ˌprē-ˈtrēt 
variants
or pre-treat
pretreated or pre-treated; pretreating or pre-treating
: 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
Elisabeth RosenthalExamples of pretreat in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
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
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
Across the state, there are 439 trucks on hand to pretreat and plow roadways.
—Sara Gregory, AJC.com, 22 Jan. 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
Use a small dab of wool wash or Castile soap to pretreat visible stains.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 29 Dec. 2025
Pretreat Stains Baking soda can be used to pretreat stains prior to laundering.
—Jolie Kerr, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 Nov. 2025
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Troy Bridges, CBS News, 29 Jan. 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
Across the state, there are 439 trucks on hand to pretreat and plow roadways.
—Sara Gregory, AJC.com, 22 Jan. 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
Use a small dab of wool wash or Castile soap to pretreat visible stains.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 29 Dec. 2025
Pretreat Stains Baking soda can be used to pretreat stains prior to laundering.
—Jolie Kerr, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pretreat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pretreat. Accessed 4 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
pretreat
transitive verb
pre·treat
-ˈtrēt
: to subject to pretreatment
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