tread water
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tread water
verb treads water · treading water · treaded water · trod water
-
To remain afloat in the water without use of any buoyancy aid, by using kicking motions and hand motions.
Near-synonym: keep one's head above water
Similar: keep one's head above water
-
To make no progress, expending effort just enough to maintain a stable position.
Near-synonym: keep one's head above water
Similar: keep one's head above water
Translations
Every language
verb to remain afloat in water without use of any buoyancy aid
| Français | faire du sur place |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | Wasser treten |
| Italiano | stare a galla |
verb to make no progress
| Español | tratar de no hundirse, salir a flote, mantenerse a flote |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 原地踏步 yuándì tàbù, 维持现状 wéichí xiànzhuàng |
| Français | faire du sur place, piétiner |
| Deutsch | auf der Stelle treten, sich im Kreis drehen |
| Italiano | annaspare |
| Ελληνικά | δεν προκόβω den prokóvo |
| Русский | топта́ться на ме́сте toptátʹsja na méste |
Talk about this word "tread water." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/tread%20water. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. tread water. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/tread%20water "tread water." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/tread%20water.Cite this
@misc{tread_water_2026,
title = {tread water},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/tread%20water},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
