runaround

American  

[ruhn-uh-round] / ˈrʌn əˌraʊnd /

noun

1. indecisive or evasive treatment, especially in response to a request.

   Ask for a raise and he'll give you the runaround.

   Synonyms:

   slip, evasion, dodge

2. Printing. an arrangement of type in which several lines are set in narrower measure than the others in a column to accommodate an illustration, initial, or the like.

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runaround Idioms  

1. see get the runaround.

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Etymology

Origin of runaround

1870–75, noun use of verb phrase run around

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

runaround

Drivers who request an appeal are either automatically denied or given the runaround without being offered an actual appeals process, Liss-Riordan said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 21, 2026

Emails to Saks asking about owed payments often went unanswered or were met with a runaround, said Emiliano Shnitzer-Bartocci, vice president of CTE Watch Co., which distributes Timex watches and Ray-Ban sunglasses among other accessories.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 15, 2026

At Fir Park, Celtic were given the runaround by Jens Berthel Askou's team in a deserved 2-0 win.

From BBC ● Jan. 5, 2026

People generally use “Kafkaesque” as an exaggerated metaphor, perhaps to describe the runaround you get from an insurance company or an especially aggravating trip to the DMV.

From Salon ● Apr. 20, 2025

She slipped into the back of these gatherings—just a tired, heavy, middle-aged black woman searching for a place to rest her feet as she dealt with some bureaucratic runaround.

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson