runaround
Americannoun
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indecisive or evasive treatment, especially in response to a request.
Ask for a raise and he'll give you the runaround.
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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.
Etymology
Origin of runaround
1870–75, noun use of verb phrase run around
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.
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
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
“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
I didn’t have time for all her runaround talk, and I was surprised that she cared so little.
From "The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams" by Daniel Nayeri
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
