pause

noun

\ˈpȯz

Definition of pause

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : a temporary stop

2a : a break in a verse

b : 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 fermata

b : 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

pause

verb

paused; pausing

Definition of pause (Entry 2 of 2)

intransitive verb

1 : to stop temporarily

2 : to linger for a time

transitive verb

: to cause to pause : stop

Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about pause

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Synonyms for pause

Synonyms: Noun

break, breath, breather, interruption, lull, recess

Synonyms: Verb

break

Examples of pause in a Sentence

Noun

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.

Verb

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.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

With the Democrats in control of the House, Republicans won’t be able now to resurrect repeal of the ACA, while a GOP quest to overhaul or curtail Medicaid funding to the states will probably also hit pause. — Stephanie Armour, WSJ, "Election Shifts Health-Care Landscape Across the U.S.," 8 Nov. 2018 But a bad showing by Venom at the box office might give Sony executives pause. — Alex Abad-santos, Vox, "Venom, Spider-Man’s symbiote supervillain, explained," 3 Oct. 2018 Still, the fact that the Console Classix system has yet to be tested in court might give pause to some preservationists. — Kyle Orland, Ars Technica, "ROM sites are falling, but a legal loophole could save game emulation," 21 Aug. 2018 Gordon hits pause on the tense moments with this tender track on her EP, Pure. — Erica Gonzales, Harper's BAZAAR, "The Best Songs to Listen to in August 2018," 6 Aug. 2018 The pair also had to hit pause on their friendship after their romance soured, but found their way back to a solid place. — Melody Chiu, PEOPLE.com, "Justin Bieber Was 'Nervous' About His 'Surprise Proposal' — Why Hailey Baldwin Is the One for Him: Source," 9 July 2018 Just to score some extra techie points, Microsoft has implemented an automatic pause and resume function for when the headphones are taken off the listener’s head. — Vlad Savov, The Verge, "Microsoft Surface Headphones review: all the style without the polish," 15 Nov. 2018 The Stock Market is up massively since the Election, but is now taking a little pause - people want to see what happens with the Midterms. — Emily Stewart, Vox, "The stock market seems just fine with Democrats in charge of the House," 7 Nov. 2018 The video included a lengthy pause and series of blinks from Sakurai upon this DLC announcement. — Sam Machkovech, Ars Technica, "Smash Bros. Ultimate confirms final features—and new fighters through 2020," 1 Nov. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Other electric scooter startups like Lime and Bird have paused operations in the city as well until permit applications can be processed. — Dami Lee, The Verge, "Ford buys e-scooter company Spin for $100 million," 7 Nov. 2018 Massachusetts had a one-day tax holiday in 2004, and full weekend holidays from 2005 through 2015 with one exception: Legislators paused the celebration in 2009 when the state faced a massive budget crunch. — Joshua Miller And Jon Chesto, BostonGlobe.com, "A sales tax holiday may happen in 2018 after all," 10 July 2018 In the same way, pause your newspaper delivery for vacation, too. — Melissa Rolland, courant.com, "Homeowner Vacation To-Do List," 9 July 2018 In August, Bazzi will pause from his sold out headlining tour to play second-to-the-headliner at Lollapalooza. — Allison Stewart, chicagotribune.com, "Andrew Bazzi went from Vine to viral," 20 June 2018 Everyone seemed to pause in the middle of the street just to scream. — Author: Rick Maese, Anchorage Daily News, "Capitals, and Washington, celebrate a Stanley Cup victory decades in the making," 8 June 2018 The night’s Fashion Icon Award winner Naomi Campbell, in a beaded scarlet Calvin Klein dress, paused to apply lip gloss while photographers huddled around her. — Kristen Tauer | Wwd, latimes.com, "CFDA Awards: Night of the icons," 5 June 2018 But for whatever reason, Crayton paused in the middle of his route and the ball hit the ground. — Peter Dawson, star-telegram, "The top 10 worst DFW playoff blunders of the past 40 years," 2 June 2018 In another part of the galleries, Moumena Saradar paused in front of bronze and brass balance scales and weights dating back to the 1800s. — Natalie Pompilio, The Christian Science Monitor, "Iraqi and Syrian guides share glimpses of home in Philadelphia museum," 21 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'pause.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.