treadle
Americannoun
-
a lever or the like worked by continual action of the foot to impart motion to a machine.
-
a platform, as on a bus or trolleycar, for opening an exit door.
verb (used without object)
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of treadle
before 1000; Middle English tredel stairstep, Old English. See tread, -le
Vocabulary lists containing treadle
The Industrial Revolution - Introductory
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The Industrial Revolution - Middle School and High School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In college, I found a treadle machine in an empty dorm room, oiled it and made a blouse and quilt.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 2, 2026
The beavers were captured using four large traps, which shut behind the animals when they step on a treadle inside.
From BBC • Mar. 12, 2026
If you have room, there are treadle feeders that are rat resistant you can use in the coop.
From Salon • Nov. 26, 2022
We've created an innovative line of irrigation products including four models of foot-operated treadle pumps, 250-gallon water storage tanks for farms and gravity-fed drip irrigation systems.
From Scientific American • Feb. 8, 2013
Hannah sat before her small flax wheel, her foot moving briskly on the treadle.
From "The Witch of Blackbird Pond" by Elizabeth George Speare
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
