Mark time Meaning in English
expression
Definition
To wait without making any progress or without doing anything important, especially while expecting something to happen.
Usage & Nuances
Usually informal or neutral, often describes being stuck or just passing time without purpose. Common in both military and everyday use. Can refer to actual marching in place or figuratively not progressing.
Spanish: esperar sin avanzar - perder el tiempoPortuguese (BR): marcar passo - ficar parado (sem avançar)Portuguese (PT): marcar passo - ficar à espera (sem avançar)Chinese (Simplified): 原地踏步 - 等待时无所作为Chinese (Traditional): 原地踏步 - 等待時無所作為Hindi: समय काटना - आगे नहीं बढ़नाArabic: يعدّ الوقت - ينتظر بلا تقدمBengali: সময় কাটানো (কোনো অগ্রগতি ছাড়া) - মুখ গুনে দাঁড়িয়ে থাকা (সামরিক)Russian: топтаться на месте - ждать без делаJapanese: 足踏みする - 時間をつぶすVietnamese: giậm chân tại chỗ - chờ đợi mà không tiến triểnKorean: 시간만 보내다 - 진전 없이 대기하다Turkish: yerinde saymak - boşa vakit geçirmekUrdu: وقت گزارنا (بغیر کسی پیش رفت کے) - جگہ پر مارچ کرنا (فوجی)Indonesian: menunggu tanpa kemajuan - menghitung waktu saja
Example Sentences
We just had to mark time until the meeting started.
basic
The soldiers had to mark time during the ceremony.
basic
She felt like she was just marking time in her job.
basic
We're just marking time until the next project comes along.
natural
He felt like he was marking time until graduation.
natural
If we keep marking time, we'll never finish this project.
natural