TREADMILL

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does treadmill mean? 

• TREADMILL (noun)
  The noun TREADMILL has 3 senses:

1. an exercise device consisting of an endless belt on which a person can walk or jog without changing place

2. a mill that is powered by men or animals walking on a circular belt or climbing steps

3. a job involving drudgery and confinement

  Familiarity information: TREADMILL used as a noun is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• TREADMILL (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

An exercise device consisting of an endless belt on which a person can walk or jog without changing place

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("treadmill" is a kind of...):

exercise device (a device designed to provide exercise for the user)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A mill that is powered by men or animals walking on a circular belt or climbing steps

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

tread-wheel; treadmill; treadwheel

Hypernyms ("treadmill" is a kind of...):

grinder; mill; milling machinery (machinery that processes materials by grinding or crushing)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A job involving drudgery and confinement

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

salt mine; treadmill

Hypernyms ("treadmill" is a kind of...):

business; job; line; line of work; occupation (the principal activity in your life that you do to earn money)

 Context examples 

"We go grubbing along day after day, without a bit of change, and very little fun. We might as well be in a treadmill."

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

D+Q alleviated normal age-related physical dysfunction, resulting in higher walking speed, treadmill endurance, grip strength, and daily activity.

(Senolytic drugs reverse damage caused by senescent cells in mice, National Institutes of Health)

It showed that silencing astrocytes in the brain’s breathing center caused rats to breathe at a lower rate and tire out on a treadmill earlier than normal.

(Star-like cells may help the brain tune breathing rhythms, National Institutes of Health)

In the study, 47 people walked on a treadmill at a brisk pace for 20 minutes, and had blood samples taken before and after this exercise session.

(Just 20 Minutes of Walking May Reduce Inflammation in Your Body, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

The volunteers, 29 men and 31 women, engaged in a variety of physical activities, including walking or running on a treadmill or riding a stationary bike.

(Fitness Trackers Bad at Measuring Calories Burned, Study Says, VOA)

The mice exercised on a treadmill for 20 minutes a day for at least a week before their pregnancy and then for 12.5 minutes a day until day 17 of the pregnancy (pregnancy lasts for around 20 days in mice).

(Exercise in pregnancy improves health of obese mothers by restoring their tissues, University of Cambridge)

They could only run half the distance that normal rats could run on a treadmill before tiring out.

(Star-like cells may help the brain tune breathing rhythms, National Institutes of Health)