hiatus

noun

hi·​a·​tus hī-ˈā-təs 

1

a

: a break in or as if in a material object : gap

the weedy hiatus between the town and the railroad

—Willa Cather

the hiatus between the theory and the practice of the party

—J. G. Colton

b

biology : a gap or passage in an anatomical part or organ

2

a

: an interruption in time or continuity : break

especially : a period when something (such as a program or activity) is suspended or interrupted

after a 5-year hiatus from writing

a summer hiatus

b

: the occurrence of two vowel sounds without pause or intervening consonantal sound

Did you know?

This brief hiatus in your day is brought to you by, well, hiatus. While the word now most often refers to a temporary pause, hiatus originally referred to a physical opening in something, such as the mouth of a cave, or, as the 18th century British novelist Laurence Sterne would have it, a sartorial gap: in the wildly experimental novel Tristram Shandy, Sterne wrote of “the hiatus in Phutatorius’s breeches.” Hiatus comes from the Latin verb hiare, meaning “to open wide,” which makes it a distant relation of both yawn and chasm. And that’s all we have for now—you may resume your regular activities.

Synonyms

• gap
• hole

Examples of hiatus in a Sentence

The band is making an album again after a five-year hiatus.

Steam was rising from aa hiatus in the ground.

Recent Examples on the Web

The group went on hiatus in 2016, with each member pursuing solo careers. —Megan Cartwright, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 July 2025

Simon Cowell’s The X Factor has been on hiatus for years while a similar talent contest Cowell is making with Drive to Survive producer Box to Box Films appears to have stalled. —Max Goldbart, Deadline, 8 July 2025

After Gramm’s second departure in 2003, Jones briefly put the band on hiatus and returned to action in 2005 with a new lineup featuring vocalist Kelly Hansen, who turned out to be an ideal fit for the band. —Ross Raihala, Twin Cities, 6 July 2025

As a result of those meetings, the city put the project on hiatus in April 2021 to enable local groups to make a recommendation on the environmental documents and re-evaluate the area’s water needs. —Noah Lyons, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin, from hiare to yawn — more at yawn

First Known Use

1563, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing hiatus

• go on hiatus
• put on hiatus

Rhymes for hiatus

• comitatus

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Kids Definition

hiatus

noun

hi·​a·​tus hī-ˈāt-əs 

plural hiatuses

: a gap in space or time

especially : a break where a part is missing

Medical Definition

hiatus

noun

hi·​a·​tus hī-ˈāt-əs 

: a gap or passage through an anatomical part or organ

especially : an opening through which another part or organ passes (such as the opening in the diaphragm through which the esophagus and vagus nerves pass)