tread
mill
Plural
treadmills
1
a fitness machine with a moving surface that allows people to walk or run in one place for exercise
- She used the treadmill at the gym for her daily cardio workout, setting a steady pace for 30 minutes.
- The treadmill’s adjustable incline helped him simulate hill running and intensify his exercise.
- After a long day, he enjoyed walking on the treadmill while watching TV to unwind.
- They purchased a treadmill for home use to maintain their fitness routine regardless of the weather.
- He started with a slow walk on the treadmill before gradually increasing his speed to a light jog.
2
a wearisome, monotonous, or confining routine of work or activity
- She felt trapped on the weekday treadmill of commuting, meetings, and late-night emails.
- After years on the same project he burned out from the treadmill of endless revisions.
- Caregivers warned him that parenting small children can sometimes feel like a daily treadmill.
- The policy aimed to free workers from the treadmill of precarious short-term contracts.
- He wanted to escape the treadmill of consumerism and live with fewer possessions.
Synonyms:
3
a device consisting of a moving surface or a stepped wheel that is powered by people or animals walking or stepping, used historically as a mill or punishment device
- The prisoners were once forced to walk the treadmill to grind grain for the mill.
- Village records described an old waterless mill replaced by a human-powered treadmill.
- The museum display included a replica treadmill that pilgrims used to power small workshops.
- Archaeologists uncovered the remains of a Roman treadmill used to power ironworking bellows.
- Accounts from the 18th century describe sailors forced to climb the treadmill as punishment aboard the ship.
Synonyms: