pause

play

noun \ ˈpȯz \

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

When Cersei seemed to indicate seeing one had changed her mind about putting on pause the battle for the Iron Throne and joining Team Human, the horrible price exacted by that mission almost seemed worth it.

— steve johnson, chicagotribune.com, "Night of the living plot explosions: 5 thoughts on the stunning season finale of 'Game of Thrones'," 28 Aug. 2017
That apparent pause ended last Friday as the United States and South Korea engaged in annual joint military exercises that the North has long viewed as a provocation.

— kathy gilsinan, The Atlantic, "What Does It Mean for North Korea to Fly a Missile Over Japan?," 28 Aug. 2017
As one Redditor points out, the vision lines up with Daenerys storyline this season: she's put a pause on going after the Iron Throne to team up with Jon and fight the Night King.

— krystin arneson, Glamour, "This 'Game of Thrones' Fan Theory About Daenerys Getting Pregnant Actually Makes a Ton of Sense," 26 Aug. 2017
ICYMI, America basically hit pause yesterday to gaze up at the total solar eclipse, the first to sweep across the country from coast to coast in 99 years.

— anthea levi, Health.com, "5 Solar Eclipse Memes We Can’t Stop Laughing About," 22 Aug. 2017
These numbers alone should give the Commission pause.

— jon brodkin, Ars Technica, "Stop hiding 47,000 net neutrality complaints, advocates tell FCC chair," 22 Aug. 2017
The city and surrounding Buchanan County started bracing for the blackout years ago when Michael Bakich, the senior editor at Astronomy magazine, alerted the city that this particular Monday would have a tanning pause.

— scott canon and robert a. cronkleton, kansascity, "Cloudy weather forecast worries eclipse watchers in St. Joseph, and across Missouri," 20 Aug. 2017
These pauses appear to be consistently spaced out and timed just long enough to cement the antennae illusion for any predators that may be watching.

— andrew wagner, Science | AAAS, "Watch this spider walk just like an ant," 11 July 2017
Under a mile total, with pauses to learn about the history and lore of the area.

— Courant Community, "Community News For The Vernon Edition," 11 July 2017

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

See Words from the same year

pause Synonyms

Synonyms

break, breath, breather, interruption, lull, recess

Related Words

time-out; interim, interlude, intermission, interval, respite, rest; cessation, discontinuance, downtime, ending, expiration, finishing, hitch, lapse, stoppage, stopping, termination; abeyance, moratorium, surcease, suspension; discontinuity, gap, hiatus

Near Antonyms

continuation, endurance, persistence, progress, progression; extension, prolongation

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

Bush paused, looked at the vice president, and gave him an amiable, disarming nod.

— kyle smith, National Review, "Hillary Excuse No. 1,756: Trump Stood Too Close to Me," 28 Aug. 2017
In the lobby, Kozlik paused to catch up with messages and the newsflow on his phone.

— yaacov benmeleh, Bloomberg.com, "Fed Up With Paying the Price for Teva's Woes, Workers Dig In," 10 Aug. 2017
Roadkill-noshing crows, for example, will pause their meal and fly straight up or walk to a different lane as traffic approaches. 16.

— gemma tarlach, Discover Magazine, "20 Things You Didn't Know About ... Traffic," 7 Aug. 2017
Phelps opens a door onto a catwalk that traces the outside of the telescope’s white dome, and pauses for a moment to take in the view.

— ilima loomis, Science | AAAS, "How the world’s largest solar telescope rose on Maui while nearby protests derailed a larger scope," 1 Aug. 2017
Paused only to kneel before the beauty of the beholder.

— justin sayers, The Courier-Journal, "Begging for peace amid chaos of drug addiction: 'Come on God, Christi's down'," 27 July 2017
Davis paused in front of an incubator that held a tiny girl, just a few days old, who weighed 2.5 pounds.

— martha bebinger, Kaiser Health News, "In Massachusetts, Proposed Medicaid Cuts Put Kids’ Health Care At Risk," 18 July 2017
Just after our players were presented their second-place trophies Sunday following their final game, the opposing team's manager paused before presenting the larger, first-place trophies to his players.

— rob manker, Naperville Sun, "Manker: Baseball coaches can affect kids far beyond a winning or losing season," 13 July 2017
While at the camp, Malala spoke to girls like 13-year-old Nayir who had to pause their education because of violence.

— brittney mcnamara, Teen Vogue, "Malala Yousafzai Celebrates 20th Birthday on Girl Power Trip," 12 July 2017

First Known Use of pause

15th century

pause Synonyms

Synonyms

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

Related Words

hesitate; break in, interrupt; cease, discontinue, end, finish, stop, terminate; knock off, lay off, quit; lapse, let up

Near Antonyms

continue, persist; advance, progress; extend, prolong, stretch

PAUSE Defined for English Language Learners

pause

play

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

PAUSE Defined for Kids

pause

play

noun \ ˈpȯz \

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

pause

verb

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

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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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pause

Definition of pause

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PAUSE Defined for English Language Learners

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pause

Definition of pause for English Language Learners

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pause

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