run in place

Idioms  

1. Work or exert oneself without noticeable change or progress. For example, I've worked on this project for months but feel I'm running in place. This idiom employs in place in the sense of “on one spot,” a usage dating from the late 1200s.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

run in place

It happened in 1992 in Detroit when Erik Kramer backed up Rodney Peete after making a playoff run in place of an injured Peete in 1991.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 5, 2022

Alterative road transport will run in place of cancelled services, it said.

From BBC ● Jan. 20, 2021

Or, technically, run in place — you don't want to ram into your TV.

From Salon ● Feb. 29, 2020

It doesn’t run in place, but neither does it bring you along from beginning to end.

From New York Times ● Feb. 5, 2017

I annoyed Wolfie every morning, for I would wake up at five, change into my sweat clothes, and run in place for more than an hour.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela