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 yawn,” 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 of hiatus

• gap
• hole

Examples of hiatus in a Sentence

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

Steam was rising from a hiatus in the ground.

Recent Examples on the Web

Bang’s legal troubles are a public relations setback for Hybe, coming as BTS launches a global tour after a nearly four-year hiatus as its seven members served their mandatory military service. —ABC News, 24 Apr. 2026

Bart Jansen Iran claimed the first toll has been paid for ships traveling through the Strait of Hormuz and demonstrated its control of the key waterway by having state television show commandos storming a cargo ship during a hiatus in peace talks with the United States. —Bart Jansen, USA Today, 23 Apr. 2026

The Afghan Whigs never had a consecutive run since forming in Cincinnati in 1986, taking a 13-year hiatus after plugging into six albums, then regrouping again in 2011, and staying put ever since. —Tina Eves, SPIN, 23 Apr. 2026

Formula 1 returns from an unexpected month-long hiatus after the postponement of races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, with the Miami Grand Prix in early May. —Matt Reigle Outkick, FOXNews.com, 22 Apr. 2026

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)