pause

American  

[pawz] / pɔz /

noun

1. a temporary stop or rest, especially in speech or action.

   a short pause after each stroke of the oar.

   Synonyms:

   lacuna, hiatus, halt, break, interruption, suspension

2. a cessation of activity because of doubt or uncertainty; a momentary hesitation.

   Synonyms:

   lacuna, hiatus, halt, break, interruption, suspension

3. any comparatively brief stop, delay, wait, etc..

   I would like to make a pause in my talk and continue after lunch.

   Synonyms:

   lacuna, hiatus, halt, break, interruption, suspension

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, pausing

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.

   Synonyms:

   rest

2. to dwell or linger (usually followed by on orupon ).

   to pause upon a particular point.

   Synonyms:

   delay, tarry

idioms

1. give pause, to cause to hesitate or be unsure, as from surprise or doubt.

   These frightening statistics give us pause.

pause British  

/ pɔːz /

verb

1. to cease an action temporarily; stop

2. to hesitate; delay

   she 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 length

4. to cause to hesitate

pause More Idioms  

1. see give pause.

---

Other Word Forms

• nonpause noun
• pausal adjective
• pauseful adjective
• pausefully adverb
• pauseless adjective
• pauselessly adverb
• pauser noun
• pausing noun
• pausingly adverb
• unpausing adjective

Etymology

Origin of pause

First recorded in 1400–50; (for the noun) Middle English, from Latin pausa, from Greek paûsis “a halt,” from paú(ein) “to stop” + -sis -sis; verb derivative of the noun

Example Sentences

Janice Schneider, a lawyer representing Revolution Wind, said at the hearing that the project is at a “crucial stage” of construction, and that the pause was costing the company $1.44 million a day.

From The Wall Street Journal

Paul Kenworthy, an independent oil producer, said he has had to pause some smaller projects due to low oil prices.

From The Wall Street Journal

With inflation still elevated, however, officials put those rate cuts on pause in January 2025, taking the time to see how the policy landscape developed before making further adjustments.

From The Wall Street Journal

But such analyses purport to find a shrinking middle class even as incomes across the board rise significantly, which should give readers pause.

From The Wall Street Journal

There is always a pause, particularly when I request that my family comes with me.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• breathing space
• halt
• hesitation
• hiatus
• hitch
• interlude
• intermission
• interruption
• interval
• lapse
• layoff
• letup
• lull
• recess
• respite
• stoppage
• suspension