go around in circles

go around in circles
go around/round in circles 1. if you go round in circles when you are discussing something or trying to achieve something, you do not make any progress because you keep going back to the same subjects or the same problems..

I need some more data to work on, otherwise I'm just going round in circles.

We can't go round in circles all day - someone will have to make a decision.

2. to use a lot of time and effort trying to do something, without making any progress.

We spent the whole day running around in circles looking for a document which everyone thought was lost but which wasn't.


New idioms dictionary. 2014.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • go around in circles — go (around) in circles to be very active but not achieve anything. His mind went in circles around the problem, but he couldn t seem to find a solution for it. Usage notes: sometimes used in the form talk in circles speak a lot but without saying …   New idioms dictionary

  • go around in circles — go around/round/in circles phrase to do something for a long time without achieving any results because you always return to the same problem that you cannot solve We talked for hours, but we were just going round in circles. Thesaurus: to not… …   Useful english dictionary

  • go\ around\ in\ circles — • in a circle • in circles • go in a circle • go in circles • go around in circles adv. phr. Without any progress; without getting anywhere; uselessly. The committee debated for two hours, just talking in circles. If you don t have a clear aim,… …   Словарь американских идиом

  • run around in circles — INFORMAL ► to be very active without achieving any good results: »Peter s been running round in circles since half his department resigned. Main Entry: ↑run …   Financial and business terms

  • run around in circles — {v. phr.} To waste time in repetitious movements; be confused. * /There was such a crowd in the lobby that I ran around in circles trying to find my group./ …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • run around in circles — {v. phr.} To waste time in repetitious movements; be confused. * /There was such a crowd in the lobby that I ran around in circles trying to find my group./ …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • run\ around\ in\ circles — v. phr. To waste time in repetitious movements; be confused. There was such a crowd in the lobby that I ran around in circles trying to find my group …   Словарь американских идиом

  • go around in circles — without getting anywhere, uselessly He has been going around in circles for weeks now and still hasn t made any progress with his essay …   Idioms and examples

  • go around in circles — Synonyms and related words: agonize over, be at sea, be uncertain, beat about, circle, circuit, circuiteer, circulate, circumambulate, circummigrate, circumnavigate, circumvent, close the circle, come full circle, compass, cycle, describe a… …   Moby Thesaurus

  • ran around in circles — chased his own tail, ran around himself, circled the issue without ever getting to the heart of it …   English contemporary dictionary

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