pause
a temporary stop or rest, especially in speech or action: a short pause after each stroke of the oar.
a cessation of activity because of doubt or uncertainty; a momentary hesitation.
any comparatively brief stop, delay, wait, etc.: I would like to make a pause in my talk and continue after lunch.
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.
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.
to dwell or linger (usually followed by on or upon): to pause upon a particular point.
Idioms about pause
give pause, to cause to hesitate or be unsure, as from surprise or doubt: These frightening statistics give us pause.
Origin of pause
1Other words for pause
Other words from pause
- pausal, adjective
- pauseful, adjective
- pause·ful·ly, adverb
- pauseless, adjective
- pause·less·ly, adverb
- pauser, noun
- paus·ing·ly, adverb
- non·pause, noun
- un·paus·ing, adjective
Words that may be confused with pause
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use pause in a sentence
“This is a great story,” Caro said, smiling widely and pausing the gather the details.
‘The Power Broker’ Turns 40: How Robert Caro Wrote a Masterpiece | Scott Porch | September 16, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTHe paces the room, pausing for a few pregnant seconds to fully absorb his brother's brilliant plan.
Generic and Superficial ‘Tyrant’ Amerisplains the Middle East | Andrew Romano | June 25, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST“My brother was a good man,” he said, pausing as he choked up along with much of the mostly middle-aged and older audience.
The Drunken Downfall of Evangelical America's Favorite Painter | Zac Bissonnette | June 8, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST“I guess I became a good idea to these directors,” he says, before pausing for a moment.
Matthew McConaughey In ‘Dallas Buyers Club’: From Bongos to Oscar Contender | Marlow Stern | October 30, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTThem (pausing, with considerably more seriousness): We want to show the world that our country is about more than its politics.
"I wonder if she has ever tried to condense rudeness into an epigram," said Isabel viciously, pausing in her narrative.
Ancestors | Gertrude AthertonHe sat down and played it phrase by phrase, pausing between each measure, to let it "sing."
Music-Study in Germany | Amy FayPausing at the threshold before opening the door, the sonorous mumble sounding through the deal panels misled me.
The Soldier of the Valley | Nelson Lloyd"Nearer and nearer came the footsteps," read Luther, pausing at each word to make sure of it.
The Soldier of the Valley | Nelson LloydWhat use is it of to any body?except, said Mrs. Corney, pausing,except to a poor desolate creature like me.
Oliver Twist, Vol. II (of 3) | Charles Dickens
British Dictionary definitions for pause
/ (pɔːz) /
to cease an action temporarily; stop
to hesitate; delay: she replied without pausing
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: Usual symbol:
give pause to to cause to hesitate
Origin of pause
1Derived forms of pause
- pausal, adjective
- pauser, noun
- pausing, noun, adjective
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 Idioms and Phrases with 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.
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