World Languages Lexicon
10 Language-to-English Dictionarieshacer tiempo
Pronunciation / Transliteration: ah-ser tyem-po
"Estamos haciendo tiempo hasta que llegue el director."
Comprehensive Definitions & Senses
2 senses- 1
To march on the same spot without moving forward, by lifting the feet alternately in rhythm.
"The drill sergeant ordered the platoon to mark time until the path ahead cleared." - 2
To pass time temporarily in routine or trivial activity while waiting for something significant to happen.
"She felt like she was just marking time in her current job while waiting for graduate school acceptance."
Thesaurus & Semantic Spectrum
Linguistic Origin & Historical Etymology
Originating from 18th-century military marching terminology, 'to mark time' originally described soldiers lifting and setting down their feet in rhythm without advancing forward. Over time, the phrase evolved metaphorically to describe any situation where a person or organization maintains activity or stalls without making actual progress.
Which of the following is the closest synonym for "Mark time"?
10 Global Lexicons: How "Mark time" is said worldwide
Click any language below to open its dedicated Language to English dictionary page with native script & transliteration
faire du surplace
Transliteration: fair doo syoor-plas
"En attendant les résultats, nous faisons du surplace."
auf der Stelle treten
Transliteration: auf der Stelle treten
"Wir treten im Moment nur auf der Stelle."
battere il tempo
Transliteration: battere il tempo
"Il progetto sta battendo il tempo in attesa di fondi."
hacer tiempo
Transliteration: ah-ser tyem-po
"Estamos haciendo tiempo hasta que llegue el director."
marcar passo
Transliteration: mar-kar pas-oo
"A empresa está apenas a marcar passo este ano."
एक ही जगह पर पैर चलाना
Transliteration: ek hi jagah par pair chalana
"वह नई नौकरी मिलने तक केवल समय काट रहा है।"
原地踏步
Transliteration: yuán dì tà bù
"在做决定之前，我们只能原地踏步。"
제자리걸음을 하다
Transliteration: jejarigeoreumeul hada
"우리의 논의는 한 달째 제자리걸음을 하고 있다."
足踏みする
Transliteration: ashibumi suru
"プロジェクトの進捗は現在足踏み状態だ。"
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