tread water

Idioms and Phrases

Expend effort that maintains one's status but does not make much progress toward a goal, as in He was just treading water from paycheck to paycheck . This idiom alludes to the term's literal meaning, that is, “keep one's head above water by remaining upright and pumping the legs.”

Example Sentences

The American political and media class, Jennings argued, had ignored the fundamentals of inflation and “people feeling like they were barely able to tread water.”

From Los Angeles Times

It must be, if the Kings are going to do more than tread water.

From Los Angeles Times

So far, the Cougs have largely been able to tread water in his absence, but that might change when conference play starts.

From Seattle Times

“Our caseloads are out of control. We’re just trying to tread water,” Chad Jenks, the former prosecutor, said in a court hearing in May.

From Seattle Times

“The main cause for concern is the industrial sector, where despite dwindling supply chain problems, production continues to tread water and we see a downward trend on the intake of new orders,” said Fritzi Köhler-Geib, the chief economist with KfW, Germany’s state-owned investment bank.

From New York Times