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

The fisherman, who has not been publicly identified, had been treading water for about two-and-a-half hours without a life vest before the three man crew of the Seal Junior found him, according to the outlets. — Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 23 July 2026

Now in his sixth Angels season, Detmers has strung together a series of wins for an Angels team that is hardly treading water in the American League. — Bernie Pleskoff, Forbes.com, 4 July 2026

Turn to face the shore, tread water, and signal for help by calling out or waving your arms. — Nc Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 12 May 2025

Rhymes for tread water

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