tread water
"Treading water" can refer to a swimming technique or a metaphor for making no progress despite effort.
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Definition
B2Swimming
(general)To stay afloat in water by moving the legs and arms without moving forward.
Example
- She learned how to tread water to stay safe in the deep end of the pool.
C1Figurative
(idiom)To make no progress despite putting in effort, often in a situation where progress is expected.
Example
- He felt like he was just treading water in his job, with no chance of promotion.
Similar
Terms that have similar or relatively close meanings to "tread water":
dog paddlehold one's waterdoggy paddlewalk on waterfloat around