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
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Recent Examples of pause
Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 30 Jan. 2026
Press to play or pause, skip forward or back and switch between Active Noise Cancellation and Transparency.
—Mark Sparrow, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 2026
Rebecca Ellis, Los Angeles Times, 30 Jan. 2026
The animal intake pause is expected to last one to two weeks as the shelter attempts to control the spread of the infection.
—Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado
january 30, Sacbee.com, 30 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pause
Verb
The administration has eased its tone and admitted mistakes in its immigration enforcement campaign since Pretti’s killing, but hasn’t backed down completely or paused operations in Minneapolis, as critics demanded.
—Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 30 Jan. 2026
Press to play or pause, skip forward or back and switch between Active Noise Cancellation and Transparency.
—Mark Sparrow, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 2026
Noun
The district attorney has asked for a six-month pause in payments amid a criminal probe into allegations some plaintiffs were paid to sue and make false claims.
—Rebecca Ellis, Los Angeles Times, 30 Jan. 2026
The animal intake pause is expected to last one to two weeks as the shelter attempts to control the spread of the infection.
—Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado
january 30, Sacbee.com, 30 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pause
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pause
Verb
-
In normal times, leaders might hesitate to impose that kind of moral weight on employees already living through the hardships of a global crisis.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Older workers face forced plateaus as organizations hesitate to invest in workers over 50, assuming their time is limited, minds are dulling, and retirement is imminent.—
Dan Pontefract,
Forbes.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The game hit a bit of an offensive lull as foul trouble sent UConn’s starters to the bench.—
Joe Arruda,
Hartford Courant,
1 Feb. 2026
-
Signaling sustained and robust demand for fine jewelry amid a wider luxury lull, a Bulgari brooch once owned by Audrey Hepburn sold for 355,600 euros, or about $425,000, at a Sotheby’s auction in Paris, nearly six times its high estimate following fierce bidding among four would-be buyers.—
Miles Socha,
Footwear News,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Over time, this hesitation creates cognitive overload, last-minute scrambling and fewer growth opportunities for other leaders.—
Dilan Gomih,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
-
According to Tuff, what causes leaders to miss these paradigm shifts is not ignorance but hesitation.—
Connie Etemadi,
USA Today,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Why the operating assumptions remain fixed even when leaders recognize they're broken.—
Vibhas Ratanjee,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
-
In a letter to the court, one woman said surgeons installed a metal plate in her arm, which was broken by a bullet.—
Nate Gartrell,
Mercury News,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Balance teaches validated meditation skills, such as body scan, breath control, and visualization.—
Rodger Dean Duncan,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
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Thompson gasped loudly as the injection began taking effect, according to The Associated Press, before taking about a dozen breaths that turned into snoring sounds.—
Michael Sinkewicz,
FOXNews.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
There are plenty of directions the franchise could go, but a hesitancy to commit to anything more than one-off stories.—
Richard Newby,
HollywoodReporter,
16 Jan. 2026
-
Big money’s hesitancy Wall Street hasn’t jumped on board with the same fervor as the average Joe.—
Alex Harring,
CNBC,
25 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Google says the new setup is meant to reduce tab overload and interruptions.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
29 Jan. 2026
-
The rest of the organization experiences it as interruption.—
Vibhas Ratanjee,
Forbes.com,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
But the unwillingness to even take them, the same hesitance that Nance and most others believed was in the past, is hurting his overall game.—
Fred Katz,
New York Times,
16 Jan. 2026
-
After a little practice breathing through the tube and getting past her initial hesitance, Jenner puts her face into the water, and comes back up immediately, her hair stuck to her skin.—
Marci Robin,
Allure,
14 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pause.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pause. Accessed 3 Feb. 2026.
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