treasure 1 of 2

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as in gem
someone or something unusually desirable in thanking them for their contributions, the mayor referred to the volunteers at the homeless shelter as the city's greatest treasures

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

treasure

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verb

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Synonym Chooser

How is the word treasure different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of treasure are appreciate, cherish, prize, and value. While all these words mean "to hold in high estimation," treasure emphasizes jealously safeguarding something considered precious.

a treasured memento

When is appreciate a more appropriate choice than treasure?

The words appreciate and treasure are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, appreciate often connotes sufficient understanding to enjoy or admire a thing's excellence.

appreciates fine wine

In what contexts can cherish take the place of treasure?

The words cherish and treasure can be used in similar contexts, but cherish implies a special love and care for something.

cherishes her children above all

When is it sensible to use prize instead of treasure?

The meanings of prize and treasure largely overlap; however, prize implies taking a deep pride in something one possesses.

Americans prize their freedom

When could value be used to replace treasure?

While in some cases nearly identical to treasure, value implies rating a thing highly for its intrinsic worth.

values our friendship

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of treasure
Noun
The cosmopolitan has roots in one town and one nation but treasures and learns from many other national streams. David Brooks, Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2025 Search the park for springtime treats and treasures. Pioneer Press, Chicago Tribune, 3 Apr. 2025
Verb
Inside Elon Musk’s War on Washington This was all too evident when Gore, who treasured the reformer’s spotlight in the 1990s, hit the presidential campaign trail in 2000. Jacob Bruggeman & Casey Eilbert / Made By History, TIME, 3 Mar. 2025 Any opportunity to see Freeman or Harris, still at the top of their games, is a chance to be treasured. Jake Coyle, Boston Herald, 28 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for treasure
Recent Examples of Synonyms for treasure
Noun
  • In Midtown’s southeasterly quadrant, the Fifth Avenue Hotel is the jewel of 28th St.
    Christopher Cameron, Robb Report, 9 Apr. 2025
  • In their new thriller Crime 101, an adaptation of the Don Winslow novella of the same name, Berry plays a weary insurance broker who gets involved in a multimillion-dollar heist led by a master jewel thief named Davis, portrayed by Hemsworth.
    Erin Clack, People.com, 5 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • One of these modernist gems just popped up for sale on the suburban outskirts of Los Angeles, in the quaint village of Sierra Madre.
    Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 3 Apr. 2025
  • Among the millions of film and video works collected within the world’s archives, there exists an unseen tapestry of remarkable, astonishing and often unseen gems found on a multitude of sources—film and video formats of all shapes and sizes.
    Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 3 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Marvell Technology — Shares pulled back 1.9% after popping more than 7% midday following the company’s agreement to sell its auto ethernet business to Infineon Technologies in an all-cash deal valued at $2.5 billion.
    Sean Conlon, CNBC, 8 Apr. 2025
  • There’s value in that redundancy, as journalists compete with one another in their search for facts, and news junkies value the subtle differences among competing accounts of the same events.
    Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • For best freshness for longer, store them stem side down, and do not stack them on top of each other.
    Catherine Jessee, Southern Living, 6 Apr. 2025
  • After a bit of work scraping out the cocoons, they can be stored in the refrigerator.
    Martha Ann Overland, NPR, 6 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Harding won the trophy in 2013, Dubnyk won in 2015 and Dumba was a finalist in 2021.
    Michael Russo, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2025
  • Madrid has a mountain to climb in the decider at home a week from now, though if its anyone that can overcome such a deficit in the elite competition, look no further than the 15-time record winners and defending champions of the big-eared trophy.
    Tom Sanderson, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • The game started in October 2024 and has one top prize ticket remaining, according to lottery officials.
    Natalie Demaree, Miami Herald, 4 Apr. 2025
  • The first drawing under the new prize structure will be held Tuesday at 11 p.m. Have a news tips?
    Michelle Deal-Zimmerman, Chicago Tribune, 4 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Every drive brings back every loving memory and crazy moment growing up here.
    Michael Nied, People.com, 8 Apr. 2025
  • Acosta loved the outdoors, regularly volunteering at Shake-A-Leg, the sailing program in Coconut Grove that works with individuals with disabilities, her family said.
    Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 8 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • That woman tuned out to be Barba, who police discovered in a car nearby an apartment where the drugs were meant to be stashed with a shoebox of fentanyl on the front passenger floor.
    Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 2 Apr. 2025
  • The Lifting Eye Serum, to Dr. Barbara Sturm Enzyme Cleanser and more, Olivia Culpo has been known to stash a few high-end buys in her beauty cabinet.
    Dahvi Shira, Forbes.com, 2 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Treasure.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/treasure. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.

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