wheel spinning
Motion without progress
Wheel spinning describes effort that produces no forward progress—like a car's tires rotating uselessly on ice.
The phrase captures futile activity, work that feels busy but accomplishes nothing: We spent the whole meeting wheel spinning instead of making decisions.
Often appears as the gerund form of spin one's wheels.
- tiresRubber wheel coverings
- burning rubberTires spinning, smoking, screeching
- stuckUnable to move
- revvingIncreasing engine speed
- pedal to metalAccelerating as fast as possible
burnout · skid · rubber · mud · ice · acceleration · friction · ruts · smoke · roar · engine · pavement · grip · slipping · hamster · futile · effort · going nowhere
- game show elementsquiz show, trivia, panel show, talent show, reality competition
- waste of timeprocrastination, busywork, dawdling, dithering, goofing off
- fiber craftsyarn, wool, cotton, silk, linen
- futilityfutile, futility, in vain, pointlessness, vain
- woolcraftwool fiber, wool yarn, raw wool, fleece, wool wash
- stagnationstagnation, standstill, stasis, deadlock, stalemate
wheel spinningmaking progress
moving forward · getting results · gaining ground · making headway · advancing
wheel spinninggaining traction
Becoming more popular
gripping · biting · catching · engaging · digging in
wheel, wheels, wheeled, wheeling, wheeler, spin, spins, spinning, spinner