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
Synonyms
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.
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Recent Examples on the Web
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
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
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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
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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
Phrases Containing pause
Articles Related to pause
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.
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Kids Definition
pause
1 of 2 noun1
: 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
Nglish: Translation of pause for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of pause for Arabic Speakers
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