Question 1 · Quick check
treadmill
CEFRB1
/ˈtɹɛd.mɪl/
noun
Türkçe translations
Translating…
In plain English
- 01
noun
An exercise machine with a moving surface for walking or running.
- 02
noun
Extra detailA 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.
Examples
I broke a sweat running on the treadmill.
With half an hour on this treadmill you'll work up a pretty good sweat.
At a glance
Sits at B1 on the CEFR scale
- Senses
- 5
- Parts of speech
- 1
- Citations
- 5
- Synonyms
- 3
Deep Dive
noun
Extra meaningsA 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.
A process or situation in which continued effort leads to or is required for remaining at a particular state or level without moving ahead.
More examples
In contextTheir paternal house of Drummington, Foker could very seldom be got to visit. He swore he had rather go on the treadmill than stay there.
Elizabeth Schor (1999) has long argued that this status treadmill, even if not universal, has worked to “ratchet” global conceptualizations of need and desire upward over time.
Back we were in the rat race, treadmilling sixty hours a week and sleeping forty, our sex life was like that of most busy cohabiters I suppose: fun, frolicky, and squeezed in haphazardly when we had a minute—or thirty.
Related
Quick test
Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.
Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.
Nearby
Origin
noun
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.