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
Sales can resume after a judge paused the Ohio governor's ban on THC gummies and beverages.
—
Katie Wiseman, IndyStar, 14 Oct. 2025
Colbert paused for a quick beat.
—James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 14 Oct. 2025
The end of hostilities could also revive deals like a joint venture between BP and Abu Dhabi’s national oil company, which had been paused during the war.
—Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 14 Oct. 2025
Deep within the Italian Apennines, ESA astronaut Marco Sieber paused in a narrow passageway of a vast cave.
—Kenna Hughes-Castleberry, Space.com, 14 Oct. 2025
In July, the Grammy-winner paused his show in Amsterdam and shared that the European city is where Adonis was conceived.
—Demicia Inman, VIBE.com, 13 Oct. 2025
If Herbert paused, both men would have a clean shot at him.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Oct. 2025
Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis often paused between words to fight back tears while briefing reporters in the days following the blast.
—Beth Warren, Nashville Tennessean, 12 Oct. 2025
His administration also paused applications for parole programs and allowed ICE to cancel parole statuses of migrants.
—Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2025
Katie Wiseman, IndyStar, 14 Oct. 2025
Colbert paused for a quick beat.
—James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 14 Oct. 2025
The end of hostilities could also revive deals like a joint venture between BP and Abu Dhabi’s national oil company, which had been paused during the war.
—Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 14 Oct. 2025
Deep within the Italian Apennines, ESA astronaut Marco Sieber paused in a narrow passageway of a vast cave.
—Kenna Hughes-Castleberry, Space.com, 14 Oct. 2025
In July, the Grammy-winner paused his show in Amsterdam and shared that the European city is where Adonis was conceived.
—Demicia Inman, VIBE.com, 13 Oct. 2025
If Herbert paused, both men would have a clean shot at him.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Oct. 2025
Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis often paused between words to fight back tears while briefing reporters in the days following the blast.
—Beth Warren, Nashville Tennessean, 12 Oct. 2025
His administration also paused applications for parole programs and allowed ICE to cancel parole statuses of migrants.
—Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for paused
hesitated
Verb
-
Upon receiving the handoff, Pacheco hesitated for a beat before faking left, juking right and breaking a tackle on the way to his longest rush of the season — a 16-yard gain on a drive that ended in a Kansas City touchdown.—
Pete Sweeney,
Kansas City Star,
9 Oct. 2025
-
Albin hesitated to name Wilcke the starter after the lopsided loss in Tampa, but provided clarity at Tuesday’s media availability.—
Hunter Bailey,
Charlotte Observer,
7 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Paused.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/paused. Accessed 19 Oct. 2025.
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