go round in circles
Spin without progress
To go round in circles is to expend effort without making progress, returning repeatedly to the same point.
The image is of someone walking or driving in a loop rather than toward a destination.
Often describes unproductive discussions or thought patterns: We've been going round in circles for an hour and still haven't decided anything.
Also *go around in circles*.
- runaroundEvasive, delaying response
- fruitlessProducing no useful outcome
- hamster wheelRotating cylinder for caged pets
- running in placeCardio without displacement
- repetitionAct of redoing
same old same old · analysis paralysis · unproductive · beating a dead horse · deadlock · treading water · stalemate · stuck in a rut · redundant · ineffective · spinning wheels · spinning your wheels · chasing one's tail · tail chasing · impasse · indecisiveness · going nowhere fast · back to square one
go round in circlesmake progress
Move toward completion
move forward · make headway · advance · forge ahead · push forward
go round in circlesachieve
Succeed through effort
deliver · get things done · make it count · bear fruit · hit the mark
go round in circlesresolve
Firmness of purpose
figure it out · cut the Gordian knot · wrap up · close the loop
goes, gone, round, rounds, rounded, rounding, rounder, roundest, roundly