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

See Examples For:

mark time

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

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 21, 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

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

As they talk in hesitant ways, almost afraid of offending the other, the windshield wipers mark time like a metronome.

From Salon ● Sep. 3, 2020

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