pause

noun \ ˈpȯz \

Updated on: 26 Apr 2018

Definition of pause

1 : a temporary stop

2 a : 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

4 a : 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

See pause defined for English-language learners

See pause defined for kids

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.

Recent Examples of pause from the Web

Aguilera has been putting her music career on pause lately but will be starring alongside Ewan McGregor in the upcoming romantic sci-fi film Zoe, set to premiere at the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival.

— abby jones, Billboard, "Christina Aguilera Is Unrecognizable in 'Paper' Magazine's Transformation Issue: See the Pics," 26 Mar. 2018
Still, the immediate and brutal response to Hicks’s resignation gave me pause.

— elisabeth egan, Glamour, "Monica, Hope, and Misogyny: Why I've Resigned from the Court of Public Opinion," 1 Mar. 2018
But the cost to protect against loonie losses has skyrocketed after reports the U.S. would withdraw from the North American Free Trade Agreement gave investors pause and thrust the prospect of a stand-pat BOC into the spotlight.

— alexandria arnold, Bloomberg.com, "Currency Traders Brace for Possible ‘Hawkish Hold’ by Bank of Canada," 16 Jan. 2018
And no one seemed to be given pause by the fact that the brand’s most famous son had mainlined a fatal speedball just across the street.

— benjamin wallace, HWD, "Can Anyone Repair National Lampoon’s Devastated Brand?," 1 May 2017
Deactivating essentially puts your profile on pause.

— jessica roy, latimes.com, "How to keep your data safe without having to #DeleteFacebook," 24 Mar. 2018
The Bavarians season is currently on pause as the international break is underway.

— SI.com, "Bayern Munich Reportedly Eye Spurs Superstar Harry Kane as Potential Robert Lewandowski Replacement," 24 Mar. 2018
Last May, Trump unveiled his budget proposal that called for killing ARPA-E. Funding was put on pause and, a month later, the House energy appropriations panel voted to advance a bill formally eliminating the agency.

— dino grandoni, Washington Post, "The Energy 202: The White House wants to kill this popular energy program, but Rick Perry calls it 'impressive'," 19 Mar. 2018
Some women remain silent in meetings, waiting for pauses that never come, says executive coach Alexandra Johnston.

— sue shellenbarger, WSJ, "New Strategies Help Women Build Career Confidence," 19 Mar. 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.

Origin and Etymology of pause

Middle English, from Latin pausa, from Greek pausis, from pauein to stop

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

pause Synonyms

Synonyms

faltering, fence-sitting, hesitance, hesitancy, hesitation, indecision, irresolution, shilly-shally, shilly-shallying, vacillation, wavering, wobbling (also wabbling);

Near Antonyms

certainty, certitude, confidence, decisiveness, determination, firmness, resoluteness, resolution, sureness;

alacrity, eagerness, readiness;

misgiving, second thought;

consideration, debate, deliberation, doubt, incertitude, indecisiveness, indetermination, uncertainness, uncertainty;

avoidance, equivocation;

aversion, disinclination, indisposition, reluctance, unwillingness;

faintheartedness, shyness, timidity, timidness;

pause

verb

Definition of pause

paused; pausing

intransitive verb

1 : to stop temporarily

2 : to linger for a time

transitive verb

: to cause to pause : stop

See pause defined for English-language learners

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.

Recent Examples of pause from the Web

Meanwhile, a furious rally in aluminum and nickel following sanctions against Russia, a major producer, paused for the second straight day.

— amrith ramkumar, WSJ, "Stronger Dollar, Higher Treasury Yields Hurt Gold," 20 Apr. 2018
The sizable gallery at 18 was almost in shock to see it, pausing for a few seconds to behold before finally relenting its applause.

— jesse smithey, Detroit Free Press, "Whoa! Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson put on a show at Masters practice," 3 Apr. 2018
Bend your right knee and bring the leg back in toward your chest, pausing for a moment when the knee is in the starting position, directly under your hips.

— jenny mccoy, SELF, "The 6-Move Butt Workout Shakira Does to Strengthen Her Glutes," 30 Mar. 2018
Deportations paused again for about a month after the hurricane.

— kate morrissey, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Lent collection money to benefit rebuilding in Haiti," 29 Mar. 2018
South Alabama now pauses for more than a week for spring break, returning to the practice field on Tuesday, April 3.

— creg stephenson, AL.com, "Defense leads early, offense catches up in South Alabama's first spring scrimmage," 22 Mar. 2018
Junior high students paused for 25 minutes, with the option to have discussions in class about having a positive influence on others, write to legislators, engage in personal reflection or walking to gather as a group in a gym or cafeteria.

— sarah freishtat, Aurora Beacon-News, "West Aurora students hold walkout to protest gun violence: 'We have a voice, and we're taking action'," 15 Mar. 2018
Mayfield scanned the two — her son and great-grandson — and paused for a second.

— robert downen, Houston Chronicle, "It's bigger than a trip or the rodeo, Trail Riders say in Houston," 23 Feb. 2018
Twice the music paused for Chappelle, on the side of the stage, to make wry observations.

— jake coyle, The Seattle Times, "At Grammys, Dave Chappelle leads a comic interlude," 28 Jan. 2018

First Known Use of pause

15th century

in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

pause Synonyms

Phrases

catch one's breath, hold one's horses;

PAUSE Defined for English Language Learners

pause

noun

Definition of pause for English Language Learners

: a temporary stop : a period of time in which something is stopped before it is started again
: a control that you use when you want to stop a recorded song, movie, etc., for a short time
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

verb

Definition of pause for English Language Learners

: to stop doing something for a short time before doing it again
: to cause (a recorded song, movie, etc.) to stop for a short time by pushing a button on a device