running in circles
Getting nowhere fast
Running in circles describes movement that goes nowhere—literally traveling a circular path that returns to its starting point, or figuratively expending effort without making progress.
The phrase almost always carries frustration: We've been running in circles on this project for months.
Someone who has you running in circles is wasting your time, whether through incompetence or design.
- loopingMoving in circles
- round and roundRepeatedly in circles
- dizzySensation of spinning
- spinningRevolving around an axis
- chasingFollowing to catch
chasing tail · dog chasing tail · tail · treadmill · spinning wheels · futile · endless · repetitive · spiral · orbit · hamster wheel · rat race · going nowhere · dead end · cycle · merry-go-round · stuck · frustration
- workplace inefficiencybusywork, duplication, overlap, rework, redundancy
- mosh pitsmoshing, mosh pit, mosher, slam dancing, crowd surfing
- worthless thingsnot worth a dime, not worth a hill of beans, dime a dozen, two-bit, good for nothing
- foolishnessfoolishness, silliness, foolish, stupid, folly
- stagnationstagnation, standstill, stasis, deadlock, stalemate
running in circlesmaking progress
moving forward · advancing · making headway · gaining ground · forging ahead
running in circleszeroing in
Progressively targeting something specific
homing in · on a mission · laser-focused · cutting to the chase · single-minded
runs, runner, runners, running, circle, circles, circled, circling, circular