mark time

Idioms  

1. Wait idly for something to occur, as in We were just marking time until we received our instructions. This idiom alludes to the literal meaning of marching in place to the time, or beat, of music. [Early 1800s]

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Example Sentences

Trees, it turns out, can spark memories, mark time and give us a comforting place to return to.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 7, 2024

Rcd1 Rea8, doubling rooks on a closed file, is a bit of a tell that he can only mark time as White dictates the play.

From Washington Times • Nov. 28, 2023

Frances' periods mark time across the 12 episodes, measuring intervals underneath the flurry of going on holiday, resuming the school term, breaking up, making up.

From Salon • May 24, 2022

The town even plays a centuries-old bugle call three times a day from its clock tower to mark time passing by.

From New York Times • Mar. 23, 2022

But the very fact of my having become his carer served as a reminder that we weren’t there to mark time.

From "Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro