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hiatus

American  
[hahy-ey-tuhs] / haɪˈeɪ təs /

noun

plural

hiatuses, hiatus

  1. a break or interruption in the continuity of a work, series, action, etc.

  2. a missing part; gap or lacuna.

    Scholars attempted to account for the hiatus in the medieval manuscript.

  3. any gap or opening.

    Synonyms:
    space, interval, break

  4. Grammar, Prosody. the coming together, with or without break or slight pause, and without contraction, of two vowels in successive words or syllables, as in see easily.

  5. Anatomy. a natural fissure, cleft, or foramen in a bone or other structure.

hiatus British  
/ haɪˈeɪtəs /

noun

  1. (esp in manuscripts) a break or gap where something is missing

  2. a break or interruption in continuity

  3. a break between adjacent vowels in the pronunciation of a word

  4. anatomy a natural opening or aperture; foramen

  5. anatomy a less common word for vulva

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • hiatal adjective

Etymology

Origin of hiatus

First recorded in 1555–65; from Latin hiātus “opening, gap,” equivalent to hiā(re) “to gape, open” + -tus, noun suffix

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Jordan says the hiatus led them to reflect for the first time on whether their lifelong ambition was truly what they wanted.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 30, 2026

Air China restarted direct flights between Beijing and Pyongyang on Monday after a six-year hiatus, another sign isolated North Korea is gradually opening up following the resumption of train services between the capitals.

From Barron's • Mar. 30, 2026

BTS – comprising members RM, Jin, Saga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jung Kook – took a collective hiatus in 2022 for each of them to participate in South Korean mandatory military service.

From Salon • Mar. 27, 2026

During the band's four-year hiatus - during which all seven members completed South Korea's mandatory 18-month military service - the company's operating profit dropped by almost 37.5%.

From BBC • Mar. 20, 2026

The two of them crouched by the hold a moment longer in a shared hiatus from their work.

From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.