treadmill

American  

[tred-mil] / ˈtrɛdˌmɪl /

noun

1. an apparatus for producing rotary motion by the weight of people or animals, treading on a succession of moving steps or a belt that forms a kind of continuous path, as around the periphery of a pair of horizontal cylinders.

2. an exercise machine that allows the user to walk or run in place, usually on a continuous moving belt.

3. any monotonous, wearisome routine in which there is little or no satisfactory progress.

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treadmill British  

/ ˈtrɛdˌmɪl /

noun

1. Also called: treadwheel.  (formerly) an apparatus used to produce rotation, in which the weight of men or animals climbing steps on or around the periphery of a cylinder or wheel caused it to turn

2. a dreary round or routine

3. an exercise machine that consists of a continuous moving belt on which to walk or jog

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Etymology

Origin of treadmill

First recorded in 1815–25; tread + mill ¹

Example Sentences

The Dutch athlete, who won gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics in a Games record time, sustained the injury when training on a treadmill six weeks ago.

From BBC

In a 28-page document reviewed by Barron’s, the firm styled SoFi as a “financial engineering treadmill” rather than a growing business and alleged it served to enrich its executives while diluting shareholders.

From Barron's

The pattern holds whether scientists are testing how fast lizards run on a treadmill, measuring how sharks swim in the ocean, or tracking how quickly bacterial cells divide.

From Science Daily

“Maybe what I need to do is just celebrate all I’ve done instead of getting back into this rat race, on this treadmill, and look for something totally different,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times

The lawyer said these efforts enticed users to a "treadmill of continuous checking" for new content.

From Barron's