treadmill.
A piece of indoor sporting equipment used to allow for the motions of running or walking while staying in one place.
Meaning & usage
A piece of indoor sporting equipment used to allow for the motions of running or walking while staying in one place.
A mill worked by persons treading upon steps on the periphery of a wide wheel having a horizontal axis. It was used principally as a means of prison discipline.
A mill worked by horses, dogs, etc., treading an endless belt.
A process or situation in which continued effort leads to or is required for remaining at a particular state or level without moving ahead.
Where this word comes from
From tread + mill. Its figurative senses refer to the idea that running on a treadmill requires continued effort and motion to remain in the same place.
To exercise on a treadmill.
To keep busy, for example, with work or with other tasks, without being able to get ahead or make progress towards long-term goals.
Where this word comes from
From tread + mill. Its figurative senses refer to the idea that running on a treadmill requires continued effort and motion to remain in the same place.
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.