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.

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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

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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.

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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

Months after the Houthis said they would pause attacks on international shipping in January 2025, ship traffic in the Red Sea area was still at half its previous levels, analysts said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

City Councilmember Bob Blumenfield, a longtime advocate for the elephants, filed a motion seeking to pause their relocation until the City Council could review the possibility of sending them to a sanctuary.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 31, 2026

The streamer did not confirm how long the pause would last, nor did it give further details on the nature of the injury.

From BBC • Mar. 30, 2026

But the latest pause comes after a sharp pullback from the mid-March highs.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 30, 2026

She doesn’t even pause to wait for us.

From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse

Related Words

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