as in to hesitate
to come to a temporary halt in one's activity
he paused for a moment to regain his composure
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in lull
a momentary halt in an activity
there was a brief pause for applause in her speech
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in hesitation
a state or an instance of temporary inaction because of uncertainty about the right course of action
the question caught the professor off guard, and there was a pause before he responded
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of pause
Mercury News, 29 Mar. 2026
His wife Carroll’s death from cancer in 2020 gave him pause.
—Marcia Dunn, Chicago Tribune, 29 Mar. 2026
Matt Richardson, CBS News, 27 Mar. 2026
The testimony came after a three-week pause in the bench trial for Donol Clark, who is charged with murder.
—Evy Lewis, Chicago Tribune, 27 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pause
Verb
Play paused shortly after the opening kickoff as defender Joelle Anderson went down following a collision with a teammate on the pitch.
—Mercury News, 29 Mar. 2026
His wife Carroll’s death from cancer in 2020 gave him pause.
—Marcia Dunn, Chicago Tribune, 29 Mar. 2026
Noun
With unemployment rising, hopes of lowering inflation stagnating and yet another interest rate cut pause from the Federal Reserve, there were few signs of interest rate relief in the month.
—Matt Richardson, CBS News, 27 Mar. 2026
The testimony came after a three-week pause in the bench trial for Donol Clark, who is charged with murder.
—Evy Lewis, Chicago Tribune, 27 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pause
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pause
Verb
-
From coordinating painting, flooring and cabinet removal to troubleshooting daily obstacles during the summer, Higman answered every call, provided solutions and never hesitated to step in, according to Filamor.—
Cyril A. Reinicke,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Alvarez, seeing his pitcher hesitate, tapped his helmet for a challenge.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Signs of growing confidence began to emerge late last year as exit values picked up and cash distribution for investors started flowing again, encouraging private equity to resume preparations to launch new funds after a multiyear lull in activity.—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Loose ends and compelling payoffs await after a subdued and slow-ish first frame that struggles with a balance between dark brooding and uneven lull.—
David John Chávez,
Mercury News,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Her hesitation reflects a broader moment of turbulence across the travel industry – one driven not by a single crisis, but by a convergence of them.—
Nathan Diller,
USA Today,
23 Mar. 2026
-
Some Republicans who could cast key votes on this are expressing hesitation or outright opposition.—
NBC news,
NBC news,
22 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Some Native American tribes refer to the April full moon as the breaking ice moon, the frog moon, the sucker moon and the budding moon of plants and shrubs.—
Hali Smith
March 31,
Idaho Statesman,
31 Mar. 2026
-
How to break the car rental rage cycle Don't get mad.—
Christopher Elliott,
USA Today,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
To get back to, the surface and get a breath before the next one comes.—
Outside Online,
Outside Online,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Why tire himself out, become completely exhausted and out of breath, crumple up the bedsheets that were changed just a few days ago, get someone else’s germs all over himself, and then reek of sweat afterward?—
Agnieszka Szpila,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
After the Veach interview ended, Schrager talked about Veach’s hesitancy.—
Pete Grathoff,
Kansas City Star,
31 Mar. 2026
-
That hesitancy drove some of the conspiracy theories about Epstein’s death.—
Erik Ortiz,
NBC news,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
When video streaming platforms were first launched, they were marketed as an affordable way to watch your favorite movies without the interruption of an ad break.—
Cerys Davies,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Mar. 2026
-
The great interruption was the Black Death of 1347–51, which killed between a third and half of the population of Eurasia, and from which the European population had only begun to recover in Luther’s time.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
That likely means there won’t be any hesitance by Stammen to use his higher-leverage relievers today and tomorrow.—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 Mar. 2026
-
That the Astros even added Vázquez underscores their hesitance to hand César Salazar the backup role, despite Salazar’s familiarity with their pitching staff and strong clubhouse reputation.—
Matt Kawahara,
Houston Chronicle,
17 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pause.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pause. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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