give (someone) pause
Definition of give (someone) pause
: to cause (someone) to stop and think about something carefully or to have doubts about something I was going to ask her for help, but the look on her face gave me pause.
Explore Merriam-Webster
Word by Word Definitions
giveplay
: to make a present of
: to grant or bestow by formal action
: to accord or yield to another
: capacity or tendency to yield to force or strain : flexibility
: the ability of a material to bend or stretch
See the full definition of give
pauseplay
: a temporary stop
: a break in a verse
: a brief suspension of the voice to indicate the limits and relations of sentences and their parts
: to stop temporarily
: to linger for a time
: to cause to pause : stop
See the full definition of pause
Seen and Heard
What made you want to look up give (someone) pause? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Writing? Check your grammar now!