Nearby Words
Arrowhead® Water Delivery www.arrowheadhomedelivery.com/ No Annual Contract & $25 Off When You Sign Up for Arrowhead® Water.
Tread Water www.answerbag.com/ AnswerBag Tread Water Every Question Deserves an Answer
Tread Water www.ehow.com/ eHow Tread Water Tips From People Like You!
Ads
verb (used without object)
1.
to set down the foot or feet in walking; step; walk.
2.
to step, walk, or trample so as to press, crush, or injure something (usually followed by on or upon): to tread on a person's foot.
3.
(of a male bird) to copulate.
verb (used with object)
4.
to step or walk on, about, in, or along.
5.
to trample or crush underfoot.
6.
to form by the action of walking or trampling: to tread a path.
7.
to treat with disdainful harshness or cruelty; crush; oppress.
8.
EXPANDto perform by walking or dancing: to tread a measure.
9.
COLLAPSE(of a male bird) to copulate with (a female bird).
00:10
00:09
00:08
00:07
00:06
00:05
00:04
00:03
00:02
00:01
Tread water
is always a great word to know.
So is lollapalooza. Does it mean:
| the offspring of a zebra and a donkey. |
| an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance. |
noun
Idioms10.
the action of treading, stepping, or walking.
11.
the sound of footsteps.
12.
manner of treading or walking.
13.
a single step as in walking.
14.
EXPANDany of various things or parts on which a person or thing treads, stands, or moves.
15.
the part of the under surface of the foot or of a shoe that touches the ground.
16.
the horizontal upper surface of a step in a stair, on which the foot is placed.
17.
the part of a wheel, tire, or runner that bears on the road, rail, etc.
18.
the pattern raised on or cut into the face of a rubber tire.
20.
COLLAPSERailroads. that part of a rail in contact with the treads of wheels.
21.
tread on someone's toes/corns, to offend or irritate someone.
22.
tread the boards, to act on the stage, especially professionally: He recalled the days when he had trod the boards.
23.
tread water,
a.
Swimming. to maintain the body erect in the water with the head above the surface usually by a pumping up-and-down movement of the legs and sometimes the arms.
b.
Slang. to make efforts that maintain but do not further one's status, progress, or performance: He's just treading water here until he can find another job.
Origin:
before 900; (v.) Middle English treden, Old English tredan; cognate with Old Frisian treda, Old Saxon tredan, Dutch treden, German treten; akin to Old Norse trotha, Gothic trudan; (noun) Middle English tred footprint, derivative of the v.
before 900; (v.) Middle English treden, Old English tredan; cognate with Old Frisian treda, Old Saxon tredan, Dutch treden, German treten; akin to Old Norse trotha, Gothic trudan; (noun) Middle English tred footprint, derivative of the v.
Related forms
tread·er, noun
o·ver·tread, noun
sub·tread, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source
|
Link To tread water
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
tread
O.E. tredan (class V strong verb; past tense træd, pp. treden), from P.Gmc. *tredanan (cf. O.Fris. treda, M.Du. treden, O.H.G. tretan, Ger. treten, Goth. trudan, O.N. troða). The noun is recorded from early 13c., from the verb; in reference to automobile tires, it is recorded from 1906. Treadmill
EXPANDinvented (and named) 1822 by William Cubitt of Ipswich, England; originally an instrument of prison discipline.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases
tread water
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."
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
Cite This Source
Word Dynamo By Dictionary.com
Matching Quote
Dictionary.com, LLC. Copyright © 2012. All rights reserved.
