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
An appellate court has paused the order for now, and at time of publication had yet to rule on the merits.
—
Jasmine Laws, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026
But now the deal has been paused amid legal challenges asserting that Nexstar-Tegna violates antitrust laws.
—Todd Spangler, Variety, 30 Mar. 2026
The crew will continue to be paid while production is paused, sources said.
—Kimberly Nordyke, HollywoodReporter, 30 Mar. 2026
Construction of the Arak reactor began in the early 2000s but was paused under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
—Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 30 Mar. 2026
Colorado paused the process of banning federal food assistance from paying for soft drinks following opposition from anti-hunger advocates and people who rely on the program.
—Meg Wingerter, Denver Post, 30 Mar. 2026
The gallery paused chanting his name so Woodland could roll in a 5-foot par putt.
—ABC News, 29 Mar. 2026
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
Around that time, the State Department also paused student and exchange visitor visa interviews for three weeks, before ordering the vetting of social media accounts for all those seeking visas.
—Arkansas Online, 24 Mar. 2026
Jasmine Laws, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026
But now the deal has been paused amid legal challenges asserting that Nexstar-Tegna violates antitrust laws.
—Todd Spangler, Variety, 30 Mar. 2026
The crew will continue to be paid while production is paused, sources said.
—Kimberly Nordyke, HollywoodReporter, 30 Mar. 2026
Construction of the Arak reactor began in the early 2000s but was paused under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
—Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 30 Mar. 2026
Colorado paused the process of banning federal food assistance from paying for soft drinks following opposition from anti-hunger advocates and people who rely on the program.
—Meg Wingerter, Denver Post, 30 Mar. 2026
The gallery paused chanting his name so Woodland could roll in a 5-foot par putt.
—ABC News, 29 Mar. 2026
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
Around that time, the State Department also paused student and exchange visitor visa interviews for three weeks, before ordering the vetting of social media accounts for all those seeking visas.
—Arkansas Online, 24 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for paused
hesitated
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
-
Allies, too, have hesitated to turn to force to reopen the strait.—
Vivian Salama,
The Atlantic,
24 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Paused.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/paused. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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