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\ ˈpȯz 
\
\Definition of pause
(Entry 1 of 2)
1 : a temporary stop
2a : 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
4a : 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
verbpaused; pausing
Definition of pause (Entry 2 of 2)
: to cause to pause : stop
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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: Noun The reason for the pause is that buyers in some cases have been unable to properly price aerospace assets because of the uncertainty surrounding the 737 MAX, these people said.
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Ben Dummett, WSJ, "Boeing 737 MAX Woes Undermine Suppliers’ Deal Making," 4 Feb. 2020 One permit approved Tuesday calls for a mandatory pause in the work if archaeological discoveries are made on site.
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Andrea Zelinski, ExpressNews.com, "Texas agency delays vote on moving Cenotaph in downtown San Antonio," 28 Jan. 2020 The United States and China had achieved a tenuous pause in a trade war that had damaged both sides.
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Peter S. Goodman, New York Times, "China’s Coronavirus Has Revived Global Economic Fears," 27 Jan. 2020 In heavily religious West Jerusalem, where Sabbath observance is the rule, the pause in bus service inconveniences relatively few.
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David M. Halbfinger, BostonGlobe.com, "Defying the rabbis, Tel Aviv rolls out Sabbath bus service," 11 Jan. 2020 Those 20 years of frustration rightly give everyone pause in thinking it could actually happen.
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Dan Labbe, cleveland, "Browns coaching search comes with a fresh sense of urgency," 30 Dec. 2019 Mayor calls for vote, council majority calls for pauseMayor Tom Barrett had called on the commission to take up the reappointment this week and renew Morales' contract.
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Ashley Luthern And Sophie Carson, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Commission reappoints Milwaukee Police Chief Alfonso Morales to four-year term," 18 Dec. 2019 But a brief pause in production, as Mr Iger announced, is probably wise.
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The Economist, "A disturbance in the force Will “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” rebalance Disney’s universe?," 16 Dec. 2019 Modification: Place hands flat on ground, step left foot back, then step right foot back and pause in plank.
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Mallory Creveling, Health.com, "10 Moves for a Cardio Workout at Home—No Equipment Required," 16 Dec. 2019 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Layoffs are increasing in the global supply chain for the troubled 737 Max airliner after Boeing decided to pause production in January.
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Dan Catchpole, Fortune, "Layoffs start rippling through the Boeing 737 Max supply chain," 7 Feb. 2020 Katie Urban paused at a hillside lookout in the Porcupine Mountains of Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
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Chelsey Lewis, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Winter yurt camping in the Porcupine Mountains is great for beginners," 6 Feb. 2020 Since, only Ariana Grande and Bieber have managed to pause that runaway train, for six and three weeks, respectively.
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Trevor Anderson, Billboard, "BTS Ties Justin Bieber's No. 1 Record on Social 50 Chart," 28 Jan. 2020 The bill would affect far more teenagers who are prescribed puberty blockers, injections or implants that are frequently administered to children who are experiencing gender dysphoria as a way to pause the process of puberty.
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New York Times, "Doctors Could Face Criminal Charges for Treating Transgender Teens," 27 Jan. 2020 The video, voiced by the royal dad of three, aims to get football fans to pause for a minute and think about their mental health.
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Simon Perry, PEOPLE.com, "Prince William Urges Football Fans to ‘Take a Minute’ for Mental Health: 'We Can All Feel Anxious'," 2 Jan. 2020 Now, some San Antonio residents and members of Native American groups are calling for the project to be paused.
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BostonGlobe.com, "How to remember the Alamo: Battle site or burial ground? - The Boston Globe," 22 Dec. 2019 In June, the baby back ribs dynamos at Chili's launched their own exclusive takeout service via their app and website, allowing us to get our Texas cheese fries fix without having to pause that Flip or Flop marathon.
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Kelly Corbett, House Beautiful, "This Couple Won a $30,000 Home Reno From Chili's and the Decor Is Spicy," 19 Dec. 2019 Agnes McKenna, an 83-year-old grandmother, pauses for a moment.
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The Economist, "Personal and political The liberalisation of Ireland," 18 Dec. 2019
See MoreThese 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.
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More Definitions for pause
pause
nounEnglish Language Learners Definition of pause
(Entry 1 of 2)
: 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
verbEnglish Language Learners Definition of pause (Entry 2 of 2)
: 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
See the full definition for pause in the English Language Learners Dictionary
pause
noun\ ˈpȯz \
\Kids Definition of pause
(Entry 1 of 2)
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
verbpaused; pausing
Kids Definition of pause (Entry 2 of 2)
: 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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Time Traveler for pause
The first known use of pause was in the 15th century
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