# treasure

/ˈtɹɛʒɝ/ (US) · /tɹˈɛʒɐ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/treasure
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. valuable objects

noun · CEFR B1

a collection of gold, silver, jewels, or other expensive things.

For teachers: a collection of precious metals, gems, or other highly valuable objects, often found or stored together.

- The divers found a chest of sunken treasure at the bottom of the ocean.
- Archaeologists discovered a hoard of Anglo-Saxon treasure, including intricate gold jewellery and silver coins, buried beneath the field.

### 2. a valued person or thing

noun · CEFR B2 · Informal

someone or something that you value very much because they are helpful or special.

For teachers: a person or object regarded as particularly precious, helpful, or rare.

- Our new assistant is a real treasure; she organized the whole office in one week.
- To the local community, the small independent library is a cultural treasure that must be protected from budget cuts.

### 4. to store safely

verb · CEFR C2 · Literary

to keep something in a safe place so it is not lost or damaged.

For teachers: to store or hoard something for future use or preservation.

- The memories of that summer were treasured deep in his heart.
- The ancient scrolls were treasured away in a climate-controlled vault to prevent the delicate parchment from crumbling.

## Examples

- The pirates buried their treasure on a secret island.
- The local museum holds a vast treasure of ancient coins and jewelry found in the nearby hills.
- While the gold was certainly impressive, the true treasure of the archive was the collection of handwritten letters detailing the daily lives of ordinary citizens during the war.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.