treadmill
/ˈtɹɛd.mɪl/ noun, verb
Forms treadmills treadmilling treadmilled
- noun A piece of indoor sporting equipment used to allow for the motions of running or walking while staying in one place.
- noun (historical) 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.
- noun A mill worked by horses, dogs, etc., treading an endless belt.
- noun (figurative) A process or situation in which continued effort leads to or is required for remaining at a particular state or level without moving ahead.
- verb (intransitive) To exercise on a treadmill.
- verb (figuratively, by extension, intransitive) To keep busy, for example, with work or with other tasks, without being able to get ahead or make progress towards long-term goals.
Synonyms
mill stepper everlasting staircase treadwheel tread-wheel salt mine
Etymology
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.
Webster’s 1913
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “treadmill”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details