Treacle
noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Definitions
- 1 A syrupy byproduct of sugar refining; molasses or golden syrup. Ireland, UK, countable, uncountable
"Didn’t you see how the cub was ashamed of the thick bread-and-butter? I dare say they’re going to have treacle if they are good."
- 2 writing or music that is excessively sweet and sentimental wordnet
- 3 Cloying sentimental speech. countable, uncountable
"The public tributes to Griffith were over-the-top in a way his acting never was, spreading treacle from the evening newscasts to the front page of the New York Times."
- 4 a pale cane syrup wordnet
- 5 Sweetheart (from treacle tart). Cockney, countable, slang, uncountable
"Listen, treacle, this is the last time I'll warn you!"
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 Synonym of theriac: an antidote for poison, especially snakebite; a supposedly universal antidote. countable, historical, uncountable
"CHEWING-BALLS, a kind of balls made of aſafœtida, liver of antimony, bay-wood, juniper-wood, and pellitory of Spain; which being dried in the ſun, and wrapped in a linen-cloth, are tied to the bit of the bridle for the horſe to chew: they create an appetite; and it is ſaid, that balls of Venice treacle may be uſed in the ſame manner with good ſucceſs."
- 7 Synonym of theriac: an antidote for poison, especially snakebite; a supposedly universal antidote.; Synonym of cure: an all-powerful curative for some particular affliction. broadly, countable, figuratively, historical, obsolete, uncountable
- 8 Synonym of theriac: an antidote for poison, especially snakebite; a supposedly universal antidote.; Synonym of cure-all: a panacea for all human ailments. broadly, countable, figuratively, historical, obsolete, uncountable
- 1 To apply treacle to a surface, so as to catch flies or moths, etc. transitive
Example
More examples"Didn’t you see how the cub was ashamed of the thick bread-and-butter? I dare say they’re going to have treacle if they are good."
Etymology
From Middle English triacle, partly from Old French triacle, and partly from Old English tyriaca, both from Late Latin *triaca, *tiriaca, late form of theriaca, ultimately from Ancient Greek θηριακή (thēriakḗ, “antidote”), feminine form of θηριακός (thēriakós, “concerning venomous beasts”), from θήρ (thḗr, “beast”). Doublet of theriacle, equivalent to theriac + -le.
Related phrases
More for "treacle"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.