tread water

phrase

: to keep the body nearly upright in the water and the head above water by a treading motion of the feet usually aided by the hands

Examples of tread water in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In the meantime, the migrants had to tread water, alone in the immense, dark ocean, with little to cling to but debris and each other. — Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2026

This means that working people are effectively treading water between income bumps and rising prices. — Sheldon H. Jacobson, Washington Post, 30 Sep. 2026

There are tensions in markets as bond yields hit multi-year highs, but stock indexes like the S&P 500 continue to tread water. — John Towfighi, CNN Money, 30 Sep. 2026

Learn basic water safety skills, including how to float, tread water, and perform CPR. — Bridget Fogarty, jsonline.com, 10 Sep. 2026

Rhymes for tread water

• backwater
• bathwater
• blackwater
• breakwater
• deepwater
• edgewater
• feedwater
• floodwater
• freshwater
• granddaughter
• groundwater
• headwater