give pause

Idioms  

1. Cause one to hesitate, as in The high monthly installment payments gave me pause, or, as Shakespeare put it in Hamlet (3:1): “For in that sleep of death what dreams may come ... Must give us pause.” [c. 1600]

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Example Sentences

Manchester's growth should give pause for thought to much of the rest of the country.

From BBC • Feb. 14, 2026

But he comes with baggage that could give pause to any president seeking a loyalist.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 28, 2026

This year’s surging turmoil — new crises, new wars and new economic slumps — would give pause to the greatest of optimists.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 28, 2023

That may give pause to businesses hoping to hire chatbots to cut their human payrolls.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 13, 2023

On the other hand, the result of Miss Klickmann's book is to make the reader who feels a writing spell coming on stop and give pause.

From Love Conquers All by Williams, Gluyas