Dictionary.com
definitions

pause

[pawz]
See more synonyms for pause on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a temporary stop or rest, especially in speech or action: a short pause after each stroke of the oar.
  2. a cessation of activity because of doubt or uncertainty; a momentary hesitation.
  3. any comparatively brief stop, delay, wait, etc.: I would like to make a pause in my talk and continue after lunch.
  4. a break or rest in speaking or reading to emphasize meaning, grammatical relation, metrical division, etc., or in writing or printing by the use of punctuation.
  5. Prosody. a break or suspension, as a caesura, in a line of verse.
  6. Music. a fermata.
verb (used without object), paused, paus·ing.
  1. to make a brief stop or delay; wait; hesitate: He paused at the edge of the pool for a moment. I'll pause in my lecture so we can all get some coffee.
  2. to dwell or linger (usually followed by on or upon): to pause upon a particular point.
Idioms
  1. give pause, to cause to hesitate or be unsure, as from surprise or doubt: These frightening statistics give us pause.

Origin of pause

1400–50; (noun) Middle English < Latin pausa < Greek paûsis a halt, equivalent to paú(ein) to stop + -sis -sis; (v.) derivative of the noun
Related formspaus·al, adjectivepause·ful, adjectivepause·ful·ly, adverbpause·less, adjectivepause·less·ly, adverbpaus·er, nounpaus·ing·ly, adverbnon·pause, nounun·paus·ing, adjective
Can be confusedpause paws pores pours

Synonyms for pause

See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.com
1–3. suspension, interruption, break, halt; hiatus, lacuna. 7. rest. 8. tarry, delay.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for pause

recess, interruption, hesitation, halt, intermission, stoppage, lapse, interval, hiatus, interlude, layoff, letup, respite, suspension, hitch, lull, interrupt, hesitate, waver, shake

Examples from the Web for pause

Contemporary Examples of pause

Historical Examples of pause

British Dictionary definitions for pause

pause

verb (intr)
  1. to cease an action temporarily; stop
  2. to hesitate; delayshe replied without pausing
noun
  1. a temporary stop or rest, esp in speech or action; short break
  2. prosody another word for caesura
  3. Also called: fermata music a continuation of a note or rest beyond its normal lengthUsual symbol:
  4. give pause to to cause to hesitate
Derived Formspausal, adjectivepauser, nounpausing, noun, adjective

Word Origin for pause

C15: from Latin pausa pause, from Greek pausis, from pauein to halt
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
Word Origin and History for pause
n.

early 15c., from Old French pausee "a pause, interruption" (14c.) and directly from Latin pausa "a halt, stop, cessation," from Greek pausis "stopping, ceasing," from pauein "to stop, to cause to cease," from PIE root *paus- "to leave, desert, cease, stop."

v.

mid-15c., from pause (n.) and from Middle French pauser, from Late Latin pausare "to halt, cease, pause." Related: Paused; pausing.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
pause in Medicine

pause

[pôz]
n.
  1. A temporary stop or cessation.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Idioms and Phrases with pause

pause

see give pause.

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