verb
    
    /ˈtrɛd/  treads; trod /ˈtrɑːd/ also treaded; trodden /ˈtrɑːdn̩/ or trod; treading
    
    [no obj] :to walk
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    [+ obj] :to walk on or along (something)
    
    
    
    
    
    [+ obj] :to form (a path) by walking
    
    
    
    [+ obj] :to crush or press (something) with your feet
    
    
    
    
    
    tread on someone's toes
    
    
    
    tread the boards
    
    old-fashioned :to perform on a stage as an actor
    
    
    
    tread water
    
    to float upright in deep water by moving your legs and usually your arms forward and backward
    
    to stay in a situation without making any progress
    
    
    
    noun
    
    plural treads
    
    [count] the part of a tire that touches the ground :the pattern of raised lines on the surface of a tire
    
    
    
    a mark made by a tire when it rolls over the ground
    
    
    
    the part of a shoe or boot that touches the ground :the pattern of raised lines on the bottom of a shoe or boot
    
    
    
    the part of a stair that you step on
    
    the way that someone walks or the sound made by walking