mark time phrasal 1.: to keep the time of a marching step (as in military drill) by moving the feet alternately without advancing 2.: to function or operate in a lackadaisical, listless, or unproductive manner : merely go through the motions of activity : fail to advance or progress : stand still < the commission was just marking time — Collier's Year Book > < our free dynamic economy cannot mark time — Walter Reuther >