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

They “give pause and invite reflection … very much like catching someone else, someone you care for, gazing into the mirror.”

From Los Angeles Times

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

From Seattle Times

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

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

From Los Angeles Times

The association’s new policy may give pause to campaign staffers and political activists but is unlikely to dissuade legions of online trolls who thrive on provocation and respect no rules.

From Washington Times