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
Schuch paused in front of a Tetra Pak carton of Côtes du Rhône, noting that while such packaging had gone over fine in Nordic countries, French consumers had rejected it vehemently.
—
Lauren Collins, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026
Luxury brands across the Gulf have watched demand fall as much as 70% since the war began, LVMH is shipping inventory out of the region, and Hermès has paused deliveries to stores in Qatar, Bahrain, and Kuwait entirely, The New York Times reported.
—Manal Albarakati, semafor.com, 20 Apr. 2026
Deployments to other cities have ended or been paused by courts in California and Illinois, while more limited operations are ongoing in cities including New Orleans.
—Gary Fields, Chicago Tribune, 20 Apr. 2026
But the harsh realities of war are never far as events sometimes are paused during air raid alerts when people move to shelters.
—Flora Bigham, ABC News, 19 Apr. 2026
The game was paused for several minutes while Cronenworth was evaluated by team trainers, but the infielder eventually decided to stay in the game.
—Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 19 Apr. 2026
Others — All-Star free agent Gabby Williams and 2025 top pick Justė Jocytė — will arrive later from international play, but the group didn’t feel paused.
—Nathan Canilao, Mercury News, 19 Apr. 2026
But the ruling was paused by an appellate court, and the state continues to operate the facility.
—Garrett Shanley, Miami Herald, 18 Apr. 2026
In February last year, a federal lawsuit charging Sun with duping investors was paused before being settled last month for a $10-million fine.
—Bernard Condon, Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2026
Lauren Collins, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026
Luxury brands across the Gulf have watched demand fall as much as 70% since the war began, LVMH is shipping inventory out of the region, and Hermès has paused deliveries to stores in Qatar, Bahrain, and Kuwait entirely, The New York Times reported.
—Manal Albarakati, semafor.com, 20 Apr. 2026
Deployments to other cities have ended or been paused by courts in California and Illinois, while more limited operations are ongoing in cities including New Orleans.
—Gary Fields, Chicago Tribune, 20 Apr. 2026
But the harsh realities of war are never far as events sometimes are paused during air raid alerts when people move to shelters.
—Flora Bigham, ABC News, 19 Apr. 2026
The game was paused for several minutes while Cronenworth was evaluated by team trainers, but the infielder eventually decided to stay in the game.
—Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 19 Apr. 2026
Others — All-Star free agent Gabby Williams and 2025 top pick Justė Jocytė — will arrive later from international play, but the group didn’t feel paused.
—Nathan Canilao, Mercury News, 19 Apr. 2026
But the ruling was paused by an appellate court, and the state continues to operate the facility.
—Garrett Shanley, Miami Herald, 18 Apr. 2026
In February last year, a federal lawsuit charging Sun with duping investors was paused before being settled last month for a $10-million fine.
—Bernard Condon, Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for paused
hesitated
Verb
-
Dean Kim, master baker and founder of OC Baking Company, said that Schwarz was the kind of chef who never hesitated to show up for others.—
Brock Keeling,
Oc Register,
9 Apr. 2026
-
After a dramatic Easter weekend for the war in Iran—downed American fighter jets, a daring rescue behind enemy lines, and strikes on universities and petrochemical plants—traders hesitated at Monday’s opening bell.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
6 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Paused.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/paused. Accessed 25 Apr. 2026.
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