pause

1 of 2

noun

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

pause

2 of 2

verb

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

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. See More
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Hamas is expected to release its sixth batch of hostages Wednesday during the extended pause in fighting with Israel. Andrew jeong, Washington Post, 29 Nov. 2023 More on the Israel-Hamas war The truce between Israel and Hamas is due to end today, but talks are ongoing to extend the pause in fighting to allow for the release of more Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners. Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 29 Nov. 2023 That’s the number of hostages released by Hamas over the course of the week-long pause in fighting, including 11 that were freed on Monday in exchange for the release of 33 Palestinians that had been held in Israeli prisons. Brian Bushard, Forbes, 29 Nov. 2023 Qatari, Egyptian and U.S. mediators have been meeting in Doha to help negotiate a continued pause in hostilities and release of the hostages. Haley Ott, CBS News, 29 Nov. 2023 The pause allowed Dareen Nseir, 46, to journey back to her house in Gaza City. Compiled Bydemocrat-Gazette Stafffrom Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 28 Nov. 2023 While all in all this sounds like an incredible assortment of bottles, some of the offerings give us pause, especially many of the older ones. Mike Desimone and Jeff Jenssen, Robb Report, 26 Nov. 2023 But Gerald put his campaign on pause in late October to wait and see if Westchester County Executive George Latimer decides to throw his hat into the ring versus Bowman. Geoffrey Skelley, ABC News, 17 Nov. 2023 Volker Turk, the U.N. high commissioner for human rights, told reporters in Geneva that a humanitarian pause in the fighting — as called for in a recent U.N. Security Council resolution — would not be enough. Sarah Dadouch, Washington Post, 16 Nov. 2023
Verb
Suggest 5 practical exercises or techniques that will help me pause and approach these situations more logically. Jodie Cook, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2023 Still, Consumer Reports noted that lingering concerns about reliability will likely add to the issues that give many buyers pause when considering a switch to the technology, joining concerns about higher costs, a dearth of charging stations and long charging times. Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 29 Nov. 2023 In March, the Future of Life Institute, which aims to reduce existential risks to humanity, published an open letter urging A.I. developers to pause their most powerful A.I. research. Paul Bloom, The New Yorker, 29 Nov. 2023 Still, Consumer Reports noted that lingering concerns about reliability will likely add to the issues that give many buyers pause when considering a switch to the new technology, joining concerns about higher costs, too few charging stations and long charging times. Tom Krisher, Fortune, 29 Nov. 2023 This time there would be no stopping to look at birds or other less exciting species, no pausing to take photos of interesting trees or of the 10th-century fortifications that pop up scenically among Ranthambore’s lakes and woodlands. Flora Stubbs, Travel + Leisure, 28 Nov. 2023 For its part, Israel has released 150 Palestinian prisoners, paused its bombardment of Gaza, and allowed more humanitarian supplies into the territory, providing a brief respite to the millions of civilians there who have suffered immensely for weeks. Matthew Duss, Foreign Affairs, 27 Nov. 2023 Weeks of aerial bombardment and an ensuing ground offensive — both now temporarily paused to enable an exchange of hostages and prisoners — have killed thousands of children and other civilians in the Palestinian enclave. Alex Horton, Washington Post, 27 Nov. 2023 Last Updated: Live Coverage Feed Updated 20 hours ago Hamas Releases First Group of Hostages Hamas has handed over 25 hostages taken from Israel, the first phase of an exchange negotiated as part of a deal that has paused fighting in the conflict, Egyptian officials said. Summer Said, WSJ, 25 Nov. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pause.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

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

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of pause was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near pause

Cite this Entry

“Pause.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pause. Accessed 6 Dec. 2023.

Kids Definition

pause

1 of 2 noun
1
: a temporary stop or rest
2
: the sign placed over or under a musical note, chord, or rest to show that it is to be held longer than usual
3
: a reason for pausing
a thought that should give pause

pause

2 of 2 verb
paused; pausing
1
: to stop temporarily
2
: to linger for a time
pause on a high note
Etymology

Noun

Middle English pause "a temporary stop, pause," from Latin pausa "a pause" — related to repose entry 1

More from Merriam-Webster on pause

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