pause

noun \ ˈpȯz \

|Updated on: 7 Jun 2018

Examples: pause in a Sentence

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

Sean Zehnder, who transferred from Lexington to Rowan County last year with his wife and son to take a job at an electronic healthcare records company, said Davis gave them their biggest pause in moving here.

— andrew wolfson, The Courier-Journal, "Gay candidate's election loss more about local politics than Kim Davis," 23 May 2018
There are no exceptional circumstances at present, or any risk to the general welfare of the community, that preclude the town from placing this brief pause in development of these types of facilities in our town.

— BostonGlobe.com, "Should Canton place a moratorium on new hospitals and convalescent or nursing homes?," 11 May 2018
The rising salaries of the NFL quarterbacks gave Jones no pause in acknowledging the obvious with Prescott.

— clarence e. hill jr., star-telegram, "Stephen Jones: Cowboys prepared to pay Dak Prescott what he deserves, now go be MVP | Fort Worth Star-Telegram," 9 May 2018
But Hawaiian county officials said two new lava fissures had opened, bringing the total number fissures to 14, and ending a 24-hour pause in volcanic activity.

— carter evans, CBS News, "Hawaii Kilauea volcano: 2 new fissures open up as 24-hour pause in volcanic activity ends," 8 May 2018
Cohen's attorneys argued last week for a pause in the Daniels case, in the U.S. District Court of the Central District of California.

— Anchorage Daily News, "Cohen says he would invoke his Fifth Amendment right in Stormy Daniels case," 26 Apr. 2018
The police, residents and activists offer various explanations for the long pause in deadly violence.

— ashley southall, New York Times, "Once the ‘Killing Fields,’ East New York Has No Murders in 2018," 20 Apr. 2018
Currently the expansion of the private sector is on pause awaiting new regulations.

— mimi whitefield, miamiherald, "Cuba's National Assembly opens session that will propel a non-Castro to the presidency | Miami Herald," 18 Apr. 2018
What Our Economist Says... Bank Negara Malaysia appears to be signaling a pause in its tightening cycle, noting that current policy is consistent with steady growth and lower inflation.

— Bloomberg.com, "Malaysia's Central Bank Holds Policy Rate as Inflation Eases," 3 Apr. 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

Dan Wheldon's oldest son, Sebastian, 9, took a spin in his go-kart on the track Thursday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, then paused to follow in his famous father's footsteps again.

— jenny green, Indianapolis Star, "Dan Wheldon's 9-year-old sons kisses the yard of bricks," 24 May 2018
Keeping a diary, pausing for self-reflection and having probing conversations with others have a long tradition, but whether these methods enable us to know ourselves is hard to tell.

— steve ayan, Scientific American, "10 Things You Don’t Know About Yourself," 15 May 2018
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the group walked up the steps leading to the festival's Théâtre Debussy, paused midway, and silently faced the central Palais building.

— julyssa lopez, Glamour, "Ava DuVernay, Kristen Stewart, and 80 More Women Just Took Part in a Powerful Protest at Cannes," 12 May 2018
Getty Images/Science Source Before diving into the current outbreak more deeply, let’s pause for a quick backgrounder on Ebola.

— julia belluz, Vox, "There’s a new outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.," 11 May 2018
On the eve of the royal wedding, let’s pause to remember Meghan Markle, thespian, with a look at her most notable film and TV appearances.

— michelle ruiz, Vogue, "Remembering Meghan Markle, the Thespian," 10 May 2018
But please, let’s pause a moment to appreciate the sheer farce — and sheer joy — of Monday’s moment in Judge Kimba Wood’s New York courtroom when, to audible gasps, it was revealed that Hannity was Cohen’s mystery client No.

— frank rich, Daily Intelligencer, "Sean Hannity Will Remain Trump’s Shadow Chief of Staff," 19 Apr. 2018
Maharidge poured glasses of bourbon, then paused to splash a bit from the bottle onto the grass.

— author: dave philipps, Anchorage Daily News, "Lost in battle, found by amateur sleuths: An ‘unknown’ Marine," 19 Apr. 2018
Noah pauses and steps back to yank on one of the branches.

— james lynch, Popular Mechanics, "After the Storm," 9 Feb. 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