as in hesitated
to come to a temporary halt in one's activity
he paused for a moment to regain his composure
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Recent Examples of paused
As of the end of the 2025 model year, the Jeep Wrangler 4xe, Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe, and Chrysler Pacifica PHEV have all officially been discontinued—not paused or back-burnered.
—
Byron Hurd, The Drive, 8 Jan. 2026
The live-action adaptation of the beloved Disney film was first announced in December 2024, but the studio paused the project in April 2025.
—Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 8 Jan. 2026
Garnishments were paused during the pandemic.
—Tiffani Jackson, Sacbee.com, 8 Jan. 2026
According to Harvard’s estimates in June 2025, most of the mineral, oil and gas resource projects in Greenland with Chinese backing had been paused or canceled.
—Anniek Bao, CNBC, 8 Jan. 2026
In December, Ocean City's City Council voted in favor of redeveloping Gillian's Wonderland, but officials paused the possibility of rezoning the area Wednesday night.
—Alicia Roberts, CBS News, 7 Jan. 2026
Work on it had been paused, EW confirmed, following the underwhelming performance of the live-action Snow White in its first two weeks at the box office.
—Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Jan. 2026
Indeed, international fund managers paused new allocations to Saudi equities late last year.
—Matthew Martin, semafor.com, 7 Jan. 2026
The program, plagued from the outset by cost overruns and delays, was paused by the ICC at the end of 2023 to conduct an investigation into the best path forward after the surcharge expired.
—Robert Channick, Chicago Tribune, 6 Jan. 2026
Byron Hurd, The Drive, 8 Jan. 2026
The live-action adaptation of the beloved Disney film was first announced in December 2024, but the studio paused the project in April 2025.
—Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 8 Jan. 2026
Garnishments were paused during the pandemic.
—Tiffani Jackson, Sacbee.com, 8 Jan. 2026
According to Harvard’s estimates in June 2025, most of the mineral, oil and gas resource projects in Greenland with Chinese backing had been paused or canceled.
—Anniek Bao, CNBC, 8 Jan. 2026
In December, Ocean City's City Council voted in favor of redeveloping Gillian's Wonderland, but officials paused the possibility of rezoning the area Wednesday night.
—Alicia Roberts, CBS News, 7 Jan. 2026
Work on it had been paused, EW confirmed, following the underwhelming performance of the live-action Snow White in its first two weeks at the box office.
—Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Jan. 2026
Indeed, international fund managers paused new allocations to Saudi equities late last year.
—Matthew Martin, semafor.com, 7 Jan. 2026
The program, plagued from the outset by cost overruns and delays, was paused by the ICC at the end of 2023 to conduct an investigation into the best path forward after the surcharge expired.
—Robert Channick, Chicago Tribune, 6 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for paused
hesitated
Verb
-
The woman hesitated at first but then let Sylvain into her apartment.—
Angie DiMichele,
Sun Sentinel,
2 Jan. 2026
-
Sanchez hesitated at first about the idea of being on camera, but his loyalty to Gutiérrez proved stronger than the reservations.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Paused.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/paused. Accessed 10 Jan. 2026.
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