give (someone) pause
idiom
: 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.
Examples of give (someone) pause in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Moon mining, whether for water or rare-earth metals, remains science fiction today, and tends to give pause to casual observers, who imagine looking up, horrified, at a strip-mined lunar surface.
—
David W. Brown, The New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2024
What should give pause is projections on what Nvidia will need to earn, say, a decade hence to be worth anything like its current cap of $1.91 trillion.
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 22 Feb. 2024
Seeing so many newly public companies in danger of getting kicked off exchanges is likely to give pause to those contemplating listings and IPO investors alike.
—Corrie Driebusch, WSJ, 19 Dec. 2022
That’s the idea on a Sunday against Buffalo that should breathe some good life back into this season, to give pause to the idea that these Dolphins are a few dimensions and healthy bodies short.
—Dave Hyde, Sun Sentinel, 6 Jan. 2024
This year’s surging turmoil — new crises, new wars and new economic slumps — would give pause to the greatest of optimists.
—Declan Walsh, New York Times, 27 Oct. 2023
From North Vancouver, British Columbia, Bedard has done nothing to give pause to the high projections after posting 100-point seasons in back-to-back years with the Regina Pats of the Western Hockey League.
—Mark Heim | Mheim@al.com, al, 28 June 2023
The trauma in Israel today should give pause to those thinking that Israel will simply acquiesce to a short tit for tat.
—Natan Sachs, The Atlantic, 7 Oct. 2023
The improving metrics are cause for elation on many fronts, but several troubling trends give pause.
—Aidin Vaziri, San Francisco Chronicle, 15 Mar. 2022
David W. Brown, The New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2024
What should give pause is projections on what Nvidia will need to earn, say, a decade hence to be worth anything like its current cap of $1.91 trillion.
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 22 Feb. 2024
Seeing so many newly public companies in danger of getting kicked off exchanges is likely to give pause to those contemplating listings and IPO investors alike.
—Corrie Driebusch, WSJ, 19 Dec. 2022
That’s the idea on a Sunday against Buffalo that should breathe some good life back into this season, to give pause to the idea that these Dolphins are a few dimensions and healthy bodies short.
—Dave Hyde, Sun Sentinel, 6 Jan. 2024
This year’s surging turmoil — new crises, new wars and new economic slumps — would give pause to the greatest of optimists.
—Declan Walsh, New York Times, 27 Oct. 2023
From North Vancouver, British Columbia, Bedard has done nothing to give pause to the high projections after posting 100-point seasons in back-to-back years with the Regina Pats of the Western Hockey League.
—Mark Heim | Mheim@al.com, al, 28 June 2023
The trauma in Israel today should give pause to those thinking that Israel will simply acquiesce to a short tit for tat.
—Natan Sachs, The Atlantic, 7 Oct. 2023
The improving metrics are cause for elation on many fronts, but several troubling trends give pause.
—Aidin Vaziri, San Francisco Chronicle, 15 Mar. 2022
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'give (someone) pause.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near give (someone) pause
Cite this Entry
“Give (someone) pause.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/give%20%28someone%29%20pause. Accessed 27 Apr. 2024.
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