Definition of pause
1 : a temporary stop
2a : a break in a verseb : a brief suspension of the voice to indicate the limits and relations of sentences and their parts
3 : temporary inaction especially as caused by uncertainty : hesitation
4a : the sign denoting a fermatab : a mark (such as a period or comma) used in writing or printing to indicate or correspond to a pause of voice
5 : a reason or cause for pausing (as to reconsider) a thought that should give one pause
6 : a function of an electronic device that pauses a recording
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Examples of pause in a Sentence
There was a brief pause in the conversation.
After a pause the teacher continued the lesson.
He hit pause on the player and explained the significance of the song's lyrics.
Please hit the pause button on the remote control.
Origin and Etymology of pause
Middle English, from Latin pausa, from Greek pausis, from pauein to stop
First Known Use: 15th century
pause
Definition of pause
paused
;pausing
intransitive verb
1 : to stop temporarily
2 : to linger for a time
transitive verb
: to cause to pause : stop
Examples of pause in a Sentence
She paused for a few seconds before crossing the street.
We paused briefly to look at the scenery.
He talked for over an hour without pausing.
He picked up the remote control and paused the movie.
15th Century
First Known Use of pause
15th century
PAUSE Defined for English Language Learners
pause
playDefinition of pause for English Language Learners
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: a temporary stop : a period of time in which something is stopped before it is started again
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: a control that you use when you want to stop a recorded song, movie, etc., for a short time
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music : the sign 𝄐 that is placed over or under a musical note, rest, etc., to show that it should be held longer than usual
pause
Definition of pause for English Language Learners
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: to stop doing something for a short time before doing it again
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: to cause (a recorded song, movie, etc.) to stop for a short time by pushing a button on a device
PAUSE Defined for Kids
Definition of pause for Students
1 : a temporary stop
2 : a sign ·̑ above a musical note or rest to show that the note or rest is to be held longer
Definition of pause for Students
paused
;pausing
: to stop for a time : make a temporary stop He paused, perhaps waiting for me to explain. — Gail Carson Levine, Ella Enchanted
Learn More about pause
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See words that rhyme with pause Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for pause Spanish Central: Translation of pause Nglish: Translation of pause for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of pause for Arabic speakers
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