run in place

Idioms

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.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Like who will the DUP run in place of Sir Jeffrey Donaldson in Lagan Valley?

From BBC • May 23, 2024

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

To evade the hogs, I must run in place.

From Slate • Jun. 27, 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

If only I could explain it, what it felt like to run in place, to see the same things day after day and not be able to do anything about them.

From "The Rock and the River" by Kekla Magoon

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023