Pronunciation: /mɑrk taɪm/

Definitions of mark time

noun a military drill in which soldiers march in place without moving forward

Example Sentences

A1 I like to mark time by tapping my foot to the music.

A2 The soldiers were told to mark time while waiting for further instructions.

B1 The students had to mark time in the hallway until the fire drill was over.

B2 The band members practiced marking time during their marching band rehearsal.

C1 The athletes were asked to mark time before the start of the race.

C2 The orchestra conductor instructed the musicians to mark time before beginning the piece.

verb to perform a marching movement without moving forward

Example Sentences

A1 I mark time by tapping my foot to the music.

A2 The soldiers were told to mark time while waiting for further instructions.

B1 She had to mark time in her career until the right opportunity came along.

B2 The band members had to mark time during the performance due to technical difficulties.

C1 The project was put on hold, forcing the team to mark time until funding was secured.

C2 The athlete had to mark time in training while recovering from an injury.

Examples of mark time in a Sentence

formal The soldiers were instructed to mark time while waiting for further orders.

informal We just had to stand there and mark time until the boss arrived.

slang We were just chilling and marking time until the party started.

figurative It felt like I was just marking time in that dead-end job until I found something better.

Grammatical Forms of mark time

past tense

marked

plural

mark times

comparative

more marked

superlative

most marked

present tense

mark time

future tense

will mark time

perfect tense

have marked time

continuous tense

marking time

singular

mark time

positive degree

mark time

infinitive

to mark time

gerund

marking time

participle

marked

Origin and Evolution of mark time

First Known Use: 1601 year
Language of Origin: English
Story behind the word: The phrase 'mark time' originated from military terminology, specifically from the drill commands used to instruct soldiers to march in place without moving forward.
Evolution of the word: Over time, the phrase 'mark time' has come to be used more broadly to mean staying in the same position or making no progress, not just in a military context.