treadmill
English · Thesaurus
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treadmill
- /ˈtɹɛd.mɪl/
Where it 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.
noun treadmills
- 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.
Their paternal house of Drummington, Foker could very seldom be got to visit. He swore he had rather go on the treadmill than stay there.
Similar: mill, stepper, everlasting staircase
- A mill worked by horses, dogs, etc., treading an endless belt. Ancient nomads, wishing to ward off the evening chill and enjoy a meal around a campfire, had to collect wood and then spend time and effort coaxing the heat of friction out from between sticks to kindle a flame. With more settled people, animals were harnessed to capstans or caged in treadmills to
- A process or situation in which continued effort leads to or is required for remaining at a particular state or level without moving ahead. 1 As a result, people can easily find themselves alternating between various treadmills: the hedonic treadmill of pursuing happiness, the status treadmill requiring conspicuous consumption, and the treadmill of work undertaken to finance one's activity on the other two treadmills.
verb treadmills · treadmilling · treadmilled
- 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. Most of us are so busy "earning each day our daily bread" that we have but little "open" time. […] Occasionally one wonders "What's it all for, anyway?" For years he's been treadmilling it, day in and day out, and presently the graying hair at the temples will shock him into the grim reality that he
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: treadwheel, salt mine, carousel, walkway, conveyor, sport, logjam, carpeting, carpet, mat, rug, deadlock, stalemate, standstill, impasse, tapetum
Translations
Every language
noun piece of indoor sporting equipment
| Español | cinta ergométrica, máquina de caminar, andadora, caminadora, cinta de correr, trotadora |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 런닝머신 reonningmeosin |
| 日本語 | トレッドミル toreddomiru, 踏み車 fumiguruma, ランニングマシン ranningu mashin |
| 中文 | 跑步機 /跑步机 pǎobùjī |
| Português | esteira ergométrica, passadeira |
| Français | tapis roulant, tapis de course, tapis de marche |
| Deutsch | Laufband |
| Italiano | tappeto, tapis roulant |
| Русский | бегу́щая доро́жка begúščaja doróžka, бегова́я доро́жка begovája doróžka, тредба́н tredbán, тре́дмил trédmil, тредми́л tredmíl |
| Tiếng Việt | máy chạy bộ |
| العربية | جِهَاز الْمَشْي jihāz al-mašy, جِهَاز الْجَرْي jihāz al-jary, آلَةُ الْْجَرْيِ ʔālatu l-jaryi, آلَةُ الرَكْضِ ʔālatu r-rakḍi, جِهَاز سَيْر jihāz sayr, مَمْشىً كَهْرَبَائِيٌّ mamšan kahrabāʔiyyun |
| עברית | הֲלִיכוֹן halichón |
noun mill worked by persons
| Español | rueda de correr |
|---|---|
| Français | roue de carrier |
| Deutsch | Tretmühle |
Talk about this word "treadmill." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/treadmill. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. treadmill. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/treadmill "treadmill." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/treadmill.Cite this
@misc{treadmill_2026,
title = {treadmill},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/treadmill},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
