Meaning & use
treadmill
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
An exercise machine with a moving belt that you walk or run on without moving forward.
Grammar: Countable: use 'a treadmill' or 'treadmills'. Often used with 'on': run on a treadmill.
Patterns
- on a treadmill
- use a treadmill
- run on a treadmill
She runs on the treadmill for thirty minutes every morning.
The gym has several treadmills and exercise bikes.
He bought a treadmill so he could exercise at home.
nounsingularfigurative
A tiring, repetitive routine that seems to offer no real progress or escape.
Grammar: Usually singular in this figurative sense, often with 'the': the treadmill of daily life.
Patterns
- the treadmill of something
- on a treadmill
Many people feel trapped on the treadmill of work and bills.
She wanted to escape the treadmill of commuting and office politics.
He described modern life as a treadmill that never stops.
Word forms
| plural | treadmills |
|---|
Common combinations
- run on a treadmill
- She runs on a treadmill when the weather is bad.
- treadmill test
- The doctor ordered a treadmill test to check his heart.
- the treadmill of life
- He felt stuck on the treadmill of life.
- treadmill workout
- A treadmill workout can be as effective as running outside.
- get off the treadmill
- She decided to get off the treadmill and travel for a year.
Synonyms and how they differ
- running machine
- A common British term for the exercise machine; 'treadmill' is the standard word in both British and American English.
- routine
- In the figurative sense, routine means a usual way of doing things; 'treadmill' emphasizes that the routine is tiring and offers no progress.
Word family
- tread verb
- To walk in a particular way, often heavily or carefully.
Commonly confused: treadmill or mill?
treadmill vs mill
A mill is a building where grain is ground or a machine for grinding; a treadmill is an exercise machine or a figurative routine.
Practice
Choose the sentence that uses 'treadmill' correctly.
Choose one answer.
A treadmill is an exercise machine you use in one place, so 'on the treadmill' is correct. The other options wrongly suggest movement to a place or use it as a verb without 'on'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “treadmill”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.