1. in circles - Adverb
2. in circles - Phrase
without making progress
Source: WordNetthe candidates talked in circles Source: Internet
Although Zhang Heng understood that the sun, moon and planets move in circles, he lacked a model for a logically structured theory and so could not establish a corresponding astronomical theory. Source: Internet
Annual aberration Stars at the ecliptic poles appear to move in circles, stars exactly in the ecliptic plane move in lines, and stars at intermediate angles move in ellipses. Source: Internet
A ship with more than 3,500 people aboard — including three Japanese passengers and one crew member — was sailing in circles off the coast of California on Saturday after 19 crew members and two passengers tested positive for the new virus. Source: Internet
An example is someone walking very fast in circles to the exclusion of anything else with a level of mental preoccupation (meaning not focused on anything relevant to the situation) that was not typical of the person prior to the symptom onset. Source: Internet
But if the sky was overcast at the time of release, the shearwaters flew around in circles "as if lost" and returned slowly or not at all, implying that they navigated using astronomical cues. Source: Internet