"give someone the runaround" meaning in English

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "gives someone the runaround",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "giving someone the runaround",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "gave someone the runaround",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "given someone the runaround",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "give<,,gave,given> someone the runaround"
      },
      "expansion": "give someone the runaround (third-person singular simple present gives someone the runaround, present participle giving someone the runaround, simple past gave someone the runaround, past participle given someone the runaround)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with language name categories using raw markup",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English light verb constructions",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English predicates",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
          "parents": [
            "Terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "They gave me the runaround when I called. I got a full tour of the facility by phone, but no answer to my question.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1986 April 19, Loie Hayes, Donna Deitch, “Leapin' Lesbians!”, in Gay Community News, page 8",
          "text": "Deitch decided seven years ago that she wanted to film a lesbian love story. When major producers gave her the run-around, she formed her own production company, hustled for backers and gathered the right crew of technicians and actors to make it happen.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To delay, dodge, or frustrate (someone), especially by providing useless information or directions."
      ],
      "id": "en-give_someone_the_runaround-en-verb-k2aK7imS",
      "links": [
        [
          "delay",
          "delay"
        ],
        [
          "dodge",
          "dodge"
        ],
        [
          "frustrate",
          "frustrate"
        ],
        [
          "useless",
          "useless"
        ],
        [
          "information",
          "information"
        ],
        [
          "direction",
          "direction"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) To delay, dodge, or frustrate (someone), especially by providing useless information or directions."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "en-au-give someone the runaround.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/2/2f/En-au-give_someone_the_runaround.ogg/En-au-give_someone_the_runaround.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2f/En-au-give_someone_the_runaround.ogg"
    }
  ],
  "word": "give someone the runaround"
}

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "gives someone the runaround",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "giving someone the runaround",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "gave someone the runaround",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "given someone the runaround",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "give<,,gave,given> someone the runaround"
      },
      "expansion": "give someone the runaround (third-person singular simple present gives someone the runaround, present participle giving someone the runaround, simple past gave someone the runaround, past participle given someone the runaround)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
        "English idioms",
        "English lemmas",
        "English light verb constructions",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English predicates",
        "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English terms with usage examples",
        "English verbs",
        "Pages with 1 entry"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "They gave me the runaround when I called. I got a full tour of the facility by phone, but no answer to my question.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1986 April 19, Loie Hayes, Donna Deitch, “Leapin' Lesbians!”, in Gay Community News, page 8",
          "text": "Deitch decided seven years ago that she wanted to film a lesbian love story. When major producers gave her the run-around, she formed her own production company, hustled for backers and gathered the right crew of technicians and actors to make it happen.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To delay, dodge, or frustrate (someone), especially by providing useless information or directions."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "delay",
          "delay"
        ],
        [
          "dodge",
          "dodge"
        ],
        [
          "frustrate",
          "frustrate"
        ],
        [
          "useless",
          "useless"
        ],
        [
          "information",
          "information"
        ],
        [
          "direction",
          "direction"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) To delay, dodge, or frustrate (someone), especially by providing useless information or directions."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "en-au-give someone the runaround.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/2/2f/En-au-give_someone_the_runaround.ogg/En-au-give_someone_the_runaround.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2f/En-au-give_someone_the_runaround.ogg"
    }
  ],
  "word": "give someone the runaround"
}