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Glite Dictionary
to mark time

to mark time

3 6.3
Spend time waiting without making progress, doing unproductive things
  • phrasal verb
  • Informal
translation icon : perder el tiempo
  • I haven't been doing what I should; I've been marking time.
  • just marking time
  • marking time, waiting
  • simply marking time

Examples

  • That does not mean, however, that we are here to mark time until we're reassigned.

    Lone Star (1996)

  • And the Prez appeared to be hanging around just marking time until his anniversary dinner reservations were ready... ho hum.

    Blog text (7)

  • No, better just mark time on it.

    Blood of Dracula (1957)

  • We're just marking time, you know.

    Fort Apache (1948)

  • I made more money that way, but I was marking time.

    Fiction book (1997)

  • We have a very high level of productivity, as we know, but we have been marking time.

    Academic text (1993)

  • She was tired of marking time, keeping up appearances, and waiting for her life to begin.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • The truth was she spent most afternoons marking time, waiting desperately for the moment when her husband returned from work and she could finally have a moment to herself.

    Little Children (2006)

  • Also, at least as far as her mother knew, she was working nine to five as a bookstore clerk in Dinkytown, marking time until graduate school opened in mid-September.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • I often find myself marking time at the coffee shop, waiting for my meeting to start.

Synonyms

to waste time
vsto mark time
728 1.6

To spend time doing things that are not useful instead of doing something more useful

is spending waiting time without progress rather than general unproductive activity
to wait around
vsto mark time
  • Informal
71 2.5

To spend time doing nothing while waiting for someone or something

is waiting without progress even when not actively expecting something
to dawdle
vsto mark time
17 5.0

Move or act slowly and waste time, causing delay

is waiting without making progress rather than moving slowly and causing delay
to dally
vsto mark time
4 7.7

To waste time by moving or acting slowly

is waiting without progress rather than delaying through indecision
to spin your wheels
vsto mark time
  • Informal
2 7.9

To waste time and effort without making progress

is waiting without progress rather than actively struggling without success
to twiddle one's thumbs
vsto mark time
  • Informal
1 6.8

Do nothing while waiting for something to happen

is waiting without progress that can include doing pointless activities
to dillydally
vsto mark time
  • Informal
1 8.3

To waste time by being slow or unsure about what to do

is to spend waiting time without progress rather than only hesitating
to burn time
vsto mark time
  • Informal
7.5

To pass time by doing something not useful while you wait

is to wait without progress rather than fill time with idle acts
to chase one's tail
vsto mark time
  • Informal
7.7

To waste time on busy work and make no progress

is waiting without making progress not merely staying busy without results

Antonyms

progress
∞ 2.5

Forward change toward a goal or better state

to achieve
∞ 2.3

To reach a goal by effort or skill

How Productive

to delay
562 1.4
to stall
166 4.3
to mark time
  • Informal
3 6.3
to burn time
  • Informal
7.5

Surface Forms

mark time infinitive
marked time past
marked time past participle
marking time present participle
marks time third person singular

Morphology

mark + time

The meaning 'to spend time waiting without making progress' is not directly derivable from the provided senses of 'mark' (a notable characteristic) and 'time' (flow of moments). There is a loose motivation (e.g., 'marking off' or 'marching in place' as a way of passing time) so learners might guess a relation but not the exact idiomatic sense without prior exposure, making it only partially transparent.

Etymology

The phrase mark time comes from marching: soldiers would lift their feet and march on the spot, making a mark, a small step, to keep the time or beat without moving forward. That's why today mark time means 'to wait without making progress'.