treadmill

noun

tread·mill | \ ˈtred-ˌmil

Definition of treadmill

1a : a device having an endless belt on which an individual walks or runs in place for exercise or physiological testing

b : a mill worked by an animal treading an endless belt

c : a mill worked by persons treading on steps on the periphery of a wide wheel having a horizontal axis and used formerly in prison punishment

2 : a wearisome or monotonous routine resembling continued activity on a treadmill the office treadmill

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Examples of treadmill in a Sentence

the treadmill of exhausting family schedules the treadmill of the morning commute to work

Recent Examples on the Web

Also on the block: his divorce papers (The Daily Mail) Risky but Rare After the tragic death of David Goldberg was revealed to have been caused by a treadmill, exercisers are wary. — Emily Selter, Town & Country, "The 1% Daily: Bill de Blasio's Gaffe, Where You Can Buy Lennon's Signature Specs," 6 May 2015 Mika requested a stress test, which monitors how hard your heart is working while running on treadmill. — Caroline Picard, Good Housekeeping, "Doctors Kept Calling It Stress. Then I Learned I Had a 98% Blockage in My Heart.," 7 Feb. 2019 At first, trainers positioned his knees and hips to help him stand, swing his legs and shift his weight on a treadmill. — Lauran Neergaard, The Seattle Times, "Implant, intense rehab help 3 paralyzed for years take steps," 24 Sep. 2018 Chaos, a 5-year-old wire haired dachshund, walks on the treadmill at the Hotel Pennsylvania. — Alexander Cohn, WSJ, "During Westminster Dog Show, Hotel Pennsylvania Goes to the Dogs," 11 Feb. 2019 Is an omnidirectional treadmill too bulky for your taste? — Adi Robertson, The Verge, "Google is patenting a pair of motorized VR roller skates," 20 Nov. 2018 That said, if Google gets everything right, strapping on a pair of compact VR shoes sounds a lot easier than having to store a giant treadmill somewhere. — Ron Amadeo, Ars Technica, "Forget VR treadmills—Google patents motorized, omnidirectional VR sneakers," 19 Nov. 2018 On-site parking spaces for every tenant, or perhaps a fitness center with some treadmills? — Kaitlin Menza, House Beautiful, "Kim Kardashian And Kanye West’s New Miami Condo Refills Their Gas Tanks," 17 Jan. 2019 There’s an immersive 3D treadmill environment the size of a swimming pool that can retrain motion sensitivity and visual integration. — Jacqueline Detwiler, Popular Mechanics, "The Heroes of Science Who Are Unlocking the Brain," 3 Oct. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'treadmill.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries near treadmill

tread on (someone's) toes

tread on the toes of (someone)

tread plate

Statistics for treadmill

Last Updated

15 Mar 2019

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for treadmill

The first known use of treadmill was in 1822

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More Definitions for treadmill

treadmill

noun

English Language Learners Definition of treadmill

: an exercise machine which has a large belt that moves around while a person walks or runs on it

: a boring or tiring activity, job, etc., in which you repeatedly do the same things

See the full definition for treadmill in the English Language Learners Dictionary

treadmill

noun

tread·mill | \ ˈtred-ˌmil

Kids Definition of treadmill

1 : a device having an endless belt on which an individual walks or runs in place for exercise

2 : a tiresome routine

treadmill

noun

tread·mill | \ ˈtred-ˌmil

Medical Definition of treadmill

: a device having an endless belt on which an individual walks or runs in place that is used for exercise and in tests of physiological functions — see stress test