run around in circles, to

run around in ˈcircles

(British English also run round in ˈcircles) (informal) be busy doing something without achieving anything important or making progress: He has a tendency to run around in circles getting more and more worked up.See also: around, circle, run

run around in circles, to

To proceed indecisively or aimlessly; a fruitless endeavor. This American colloquialism dates from the first half of the twentieth century. Patricia Wentworth wrote (Pursuit of a Parcel, 1942), “He had been rushing around in circles.” See also go around in circles.See also: around, run