get the runaround

Idioms  

1. Be treated evasively or misleadingly, especially in response to a request. For example, Every time I ask about next year's plans I get the runaround. The related expression give the runaround means “to treat evasively or misleadingly,” as in He gives her the runaround whenever she asks for time off. [Early 1900s]

---

Example Sentences

“Every day they call to get an update. Every single day they’re calling. And they get the runaround every single day, repeatedly,” she said.

From New York Times • May 1, 2024

Anger is an understandable response when you get the runaround.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 19, 2022

I hear frequently from frustrated taxpayers who get the runaround, or no response at all, when they try to get attention for various municipal breakdowns.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 29, 2022

"They don't know what the bills mean and how to get help. They've tried on their own and get the runaround," she says.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 5, 2015

"People still get the runaround, people are still getting confused, people are still subject to dual-tracking," said Daniel Lindsey, an attorney at LAF, formerly the Legal Assistance Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago.

From Chicago Tribune • Feb. 22, 2013