spin one's wheels

English

Pronunciation

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Verb

spin one's wheels (third-person singular simple present spins one's wheels, present participle spinning one's wheels, simple past and past participle spun one's wheels)

1. (idiomatic) To make no progress despite making an effort; to get nowhere.

   I've been spinning my wheels on this problem all week, with nothing to show for it.

Related terms

• spin someone's wheels