treadmill
noun · verb
Simple meaning
A process or situation in which continued effort leads to or is required for remaining at a particular state or level without moving ahead.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
trehdmilSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈtɹɛdmɪl
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
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.
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 horses, dogs, etc., treading an endless belt.
verb
figurativelyby extensionintransitive
To keep busy, for example, with work or with other tasks, without being able to get ahead or make progress towards long-term goals.
intransitive
To exercise on a treadmill.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B2 · Upper Intermediate (estimated)
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Formality
- Technical
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A piece of indoor sporting equipment used to allow for the motions of running or walking while staying in one place.
Used this way, treadmill is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use treadmill
- “I like to walk on the treadmill for 30 minutes every morning.”noun
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
A stress test in which the patient walks on a moving treadmill while the heart and breathing rates are monitored.
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What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.