treadmill Hear it!

treadmill definition

tread·mill (tredmil′)

noun

  1. a kind of mill wheel turned by the weight of persons treading steps arranged around its circumference: formerly used as an instrument of prison discipline
  2. a mill driven by an animal treading a sloping, endless belt
  3. any monotonous round of duties, work, etc. in which one seems to get nowhere
  4. a stationary exercise machine, often with speed controls, handles, etc., consisting of a short, wide conveyor belt on which a person walks or runs

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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