pause
Americannoun
-
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
-
a cessation of activity because of doubt or uncertainty; a momentary hesitation.
- Synonyms:
- lacuna, hiatus, halt, break, interruption, suspension
-
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
-
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.
-
Prosody. a break or suspension, as a caesura, in a line of verse.
-
Music. a fermata.
verb (used without object)
idioms
verb
-
to cease an action temporarily; stop
-
to hesitate; delay
she replied without pausing
noun
-
a temporary stop or rest, esp in speech or action; short break
-
prosody another word for caesura
-
Also called: fermata. music a continuation of a note or rest beyond its normal length
-
to cause to hesitate
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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nonpausenoun
-
pausernoun
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pausingnoun
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pausaladjective
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pausefuladjective
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pauselessadjective
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unpausingadjective
-
pausefullyadverb
-
pauselesslyadverb
-
pausinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
pausesimple
-
pausessimple
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have pausedperfect
-
has pausedperfect
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am pausingprogressive
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are pausingprogressive
-
is pausingprogressive
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have been pausingperfect progressive
-
has been pausingperfect progressive
Past
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pausedsimple
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had pausedperfect
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was pausingprogressive
-
were pausingprogressive
-
had been pausingperfect progressive
Future
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
Explanation
The noun pause means "a short break," like the pauses in television shows that allow for commercials to be shown. Pause can also be a verb that means "to stop for a short time." Teachers, for example, often pause after making an important point to check that students understand and to give them time to ask questions. Pause which rhymes with laws and cause, comes from the Greek word pausis, "stopping, ceasing," which comes from pauein "to stop, to cause to cease." Why don't you pause and think about that for a moment.
Vocabulary lists containing pause
The Best Starting Words for Wordle
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"Thank You, M'am"
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"Because I Could Not Stop for Death" by Emily Dickinson
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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.
See Examples For:
The group is pushing for a pause on “the development of the most dangerous AI systems” until its builders can prove they’re safe.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
Paramount's bid still faces hurdles across the Atlantic after a federal judge in California ordered the companies to temporarily pause their merger this week.
From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026
New York adopted a temporary, targeted pause on new hyperscale AI data centers that use 50 megawatts or more while we establish clear rules for an industry that will reshape our economy for generations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
Homan can say he initially supported a pause.
From Salon ● Jul. 21, 2026
There’s a long pause as her words sink in, and I try to sort out what she’s telling me into something that’s true.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
It would sting for companies banking on the completion of data centers in jurisdictions where pauses are in place.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
When Roman LeVine, 7, eagerly swings at a water balloon, his mom Nicole LeVine pauses to take a video.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
When Ms. Lewis pauses to suggest a little applause would be acceptable at a certain juncture, for instance, it feels amusingly almost like a royal command.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
When they haven’t been loudly booing, many fans have noticed that teams often appear to spend as much time strategizing during the pauses as they do hydrating.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026
The girl pauses, then continues, "Anyway. You better get going."
From "Born Behind Bars" by Padma Venkatraman
A federal judge paused the merger of Paramount and Warner Bros.
From Slate ● Jul. 22, 2026
But he paused the construction late last month after Polestar announced the decision, and is unsure what he will do with the site.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
The lawsuit paused the work of protecting the lizard’s environment.
From Salon ● Jul. 15, 2026
Last week, Meta paused a new AI tool to generate images based on public Instagram accounts after users complained that people’s likeness could be used without their consent.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
They paused at the pointed rock and peered between the first trees.
From "Rowan of Rin" by Emily Rodda
IBM attributed the disappointing results to customers shifting budgets toward artificial intelligence hardware and pausing some deals.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
He ended up in Chicago, where he drove for Uber seven days a week, pausing at 8:30 each night to call home.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026
However, in March of this year he said he would be pausing the service, citing security reasons.
From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026
In September 2024, it began cutting, lowering them six times before pausing at the end of last year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 17, 2026
He cautiously crept up to the porch and—after pausing to take in a deep, fortifying, leg-steadying breath—shimmied through Duke’s doggy door.
From "Dog Squad" by Chris Grabenstein
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.
