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

See Examples For:

give pause

Some of Pulte’s annotations might give pause to those already worried about him overseeing America’s intelligence community.

From Salon ● Jun. 9, 2026

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

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 28, 2026

It adds: "We question how any department can consider that a foreign country single-handedly running our nuclear power stations shouldn't give pause for thought."

From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2023

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

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2023

It was serious enough to give pause to Clive.

From In Clive's Command A Story of the Fight for India by Strang, Herbert