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
The university told the student her appeal would be paused until the federal education agency completed its review, the lawsuit said.
—
Nick Lentz, CBS News, 16 Feb. 2026
An appeals court paused the order but instructed the hospital to allow Bowden to apply for privileges.
—Evan MacDonald, Houston Chronicle, 13 Feb. 2026
In the middle of it all, songwriter Diane Warren paused to take a selfie, still evidently enjoying the giddy thrill of being in a room full of fellow hopefuls even after 17 times.
—Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2026
Although some of those actions were paused by a federal court and have not taken effect, those ACA critics, some of whom have produced controversial estimates that millions may have been improperly enrolled, say that’s behind the decline.
—Julie Appleby, Miami Herald, 11 Feb. 2026
Philanthropic partners paused conversations mid-sentence, waiting to see which issues, and which voices, might soon be deemed liabilities in a shifting political and legal landscape.
—Adrianne Wright, Fortune, 11 Feb. 2026
Yet even after retrieving it from her backpack, Shawler paused, reluctant to switch it on due to a combination of embarrassment and uncertainty about initiating a full-scale rescue.
—Emilee Coblentz, Outside, 11 Feb. 2026
But the children whose parents paused for questions generated significantly more ideas overall.
—Erin Clabough, The Conversation, 11 Feb. 2026
Flight operations at two airports -- one in Russia's southern city of Volgograd and the other in the western city of Kaluga -- were temporarily paused, Russia's federal air transport agency said.
—David Brennan, ABC News, 9 Feb. 2026
Nick Lentz, CBS News, 16 Feb. 2026
An appeals court paused the order but instructed the hospital to allow Bowden to apply for privileges.
—Evan MacDonald, Houston Chronicle, 13 Feb. 2026
In the middle of it all, songwriter Diane Warren paused to take a selfie, still evidently enjoying the giddy thrill of being in a room full of fellow hopefuls even after 17 times.
—Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2026
Although some of those actions were paused by a federal court and have not taken effect, those ACA critics, some of whom have produced controversial estimates that millions may have been improperly enrolled, say that’s behind the decline.
—Julie Appleby, Miami Herald, 11 Feb. 2026
Philanthropic partners paused conversations mid-sentence, waiting to see which issues, and which voices, might soon be deemed liabilities in a shifting political and legal landscape.
—Adrianne Wright, Fortune, 11 Feb. 2026
Yet even after retrieving it from her backpack, Shawler paused, reluctant to switch it on due to a combination of embarrassment and uncertainty about initiating a full-scale rescue.
—Emilee Coblentz, Outside, 11 Feb. 2026
But the children whose parents paused for questions generated significantly more ideas overall.
—Erin Clabough, The Conversation, 11 Feb. 2026
Flight operations at two airports -- one in Russia's southern city of Volgograd and the other in the western city of Kaluga -- were temporarily paused, Russia's federal air transport agency said.
—David Brennan, ABC News, 9 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for paused
hesitated
Verb
-
Even then, his father, Chris Oettinger, hesitated to believe his Olympic dreams would become a reality — until the roster was announced last month.—
Lia Assimakopoulos
Dallas Stars,
Dallas Morning News,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Asked if this was a statement game, Dahlin hesitated.—
Matthew Fairburn,
New York Times,
28 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Paused.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/paused. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.
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