空回り

からまわり

racing (of an engine); idling; spinning (without grabbing; of wheels); going round in circles (of an argument, discussion, etc.)

Also written カラ回り、空まわり

Meaning

nvsvi
racing (of an engine); idling; spinning (without grabbing; of wheels)
nvsvi
going round in circles (of an argument, discussion, etc.); going nowhere; being fruitless

Example sentences

エンジンを空回りさせちゃいかん。長持ちさせたいからね。

Don't race the car. We want to make it go as far as possible.
彼女って、一生懸命なんだけど、どこか空回りしてるのよね。

She tries so hard, but she's just spinning her wheels.
議論が空回りして一向に発展しなかった。

The discussion produced a great deal of noise, but no forward motion.