as in hesitates
to come to a temporary halt in one's activity
he paused for a moment to regain his composure
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in lulls
a momentary halt in an activity
there was a brief pause for applause in her speech
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of pauses
Rachel Mural,
Fortune,
21 June 2026
Setting the factory ablaze and escaping, Naim pauses for a minute when the Ryan-like monster appears at a window, begging to be released and claiming to be the human-being.
—
Arushi Jacob,
Variety,
19 June 2026
The 14-point memorandum of understanding is a preliminary agreement that reopens the Strait of Hormuz and pauses fighting, while setting up at least 60 days of negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program.
—
Rena Rowe,
The Washington Examiner,
19 June 2026
At the entrance of Kollparay, Quispe pauses, taking my hands and smearing them with soil—the soil of her village.
—
Paola Miglio,
Condé Nast Traveler,
18 June 2026
These pauses in data center permitting and construction give communities time to consider how to define new laws and regulations about the facilities’ location, electricity use, water conservation and noise buffering.
—
Rachel Mural,
The Conversation,
18 June 2026
As the Air Force pauses flight test operations at the base, the investigation is expected to focus heavily on the aircraft's takeoff, looking for potential engine failures or controllability issues.
—
Alexandra Koch,
FOXNews.com,
17 June 2026
Then Jaimoe pauses, flashes a quick, playful grin, and rolls his right pant leg up to his knee.
—
David Browne,
Rolling Stone,
12 June 2026
Before ascending, Turull pauses at an enormous seashell — a real one, not made of stone — that serves as a basin for holy water.
—
ABC News,
9 June 2026
Emese MacZko,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2026
His health problems resembled a fall down a long flight of stairs, with pauses at several landings.
—
Ian Frazier,
New Yorker,
29 June 2026
In the days to come, those pauses may become an essential safeguard.
—
Amelie Claydon,
New York Times,
29 June 2026
Some card descriptions are a bit wordy, forcing pauses to reread during your first attempts.
—
Jason Bennett,
Arkansas Online,
28 June 2026
During production pauses, Xiaomo can switch to inspection duties, further improving manufacturing efficiency, quality control, and operational reliability.
—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
25 June 2026
The two mid-half pauses for hydration (and advertisements) have been met with increasingly loud boos from crowds who are frustrated at FIFA turning matches into de facto four-quarter affairs.
—
Kyle Feldscher,
CNN Money,
23 June 2026
The pauses have also been criticized for interrupting the spectacle for fans, with broadcasters cutting to commercials.
—
Dorany Pineda,
Chicago Tribune,
19 June 2026
For Chen, all performance exists within pauses and breaths.
—
Marcus Lim,
Variety,
19 June 2026
Verb
These pauses in data center permitting and construction give communities time to consider how to define new laws and regulations about the facilities’ location, electricity use, water conservation and noise buffering.
—
Rachel Mural,
Fortune,
21 June 2026
Setting the factory ablaze and escaping, Naim pauses for a minute when the Ryan-like monster appears at a window, begging to be released and claiming to be the human-being.
—
Arushi Jacob,
Variety,
19 June 2026
The 14-point memorandum of understanding is a preliminary agreement that reopens the Strait of Hormuz and pauses fighting, while setting up at least 60 days of negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program.
—
Rena Rowe,
The Washington Examiner,
19 June 2026
At the entrance of Kollparay, Quispe pauses, taking my hands and smearing them with soil—the soil of her village.
—
Paola Miglio,
Condé Nast Traveler,
18 June 2026
These pauses in data center permitting and construction give communities time to consider how to define new laws and regulations about the facilities’ location, electricity use, water conservation and noise buffering.
—
Rachel Mural,
The Conversation,
18 June 2026
As the Air Force pauses flight test operations at the base, the investigation is expected to focus heavily on the aircraft's takeoff, looking for potential engine failures or controllability issues.
—
Alexandra Koch,
FOXNews.com,
17 June 2026
Then Jaimoe pauses, flashes a quick, playful grin, and rolls his right pant leg up to his knee.
—
David Browne,
Rolling Stone,
12 June 2026
Before ascending, Turull pauses at an enormous seashell — a real one, not made of stone — that serves as a basin for holy water.
—
ABC News,
9 June 2026
Noun
The itinerary also builds in natural pauses, from ferries and viewpoints to kayaking, biking, hiking and fjord activities.
—
Emese MacZko,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2026
His health problems resembled a fall down a long flight of stairs, with pauses at several landings.
—
Ian Frazier,
New Yorker,
29 June 2026
In the days to come, those pauses may become an essential safeguard.
—
Amelie Claydon,
New York Times,
29 June 2026
Some card descriptions are a bit wordy, forcing pauses to reread during your first attempts.
—
Jason Bennett,
Arkansas Online,
28 June 2026
During production pauses, Xiaomo can switch to inspection duties, further improving manufacturing efficiency, quality control, and operational reliability.
—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
25 June 2026
The two mid-half pauses for hydration (and advertisements) have been met with increasingly loud boos from crowds who are frustrated at FIFA turning matches into de facto four-quarter affairs.
—
Kyle Feldscher,
CNN Money,
23 June 2026
The pauses have also been criticized for interrupting the spectacle for fans, with broadcasters cutting to commercials.
—
Dorany Pineda,
Chicago Tribune,
19 June 2026
For Chen, all performance exists within pauses and breaths.
—
Marcus Lim,
Variety,
19 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pauses
Verb
-
In Spearfish, Yu hesitates over a set of cow grates and dumps her bike at low velocity.
-
Hassan hesitates over an undercooked backpass, Haaland smells blood, and Iraq are toast.
Noun
-
Atmospheric warming is diminishing wildfires’ nighttime lulls.
-
Yes, there were lulls, to be sure.
Noun
-
That might mean going for a walk or taking deep breaths to calm yourself down.
-
There was very few breaths taken collectively in any kind of span.
Noun
-
The result can be a more consistent connection, fewer interruptions and less of that infuriating mid-episode quality drop.
-
These are arranged in a 2+1 redundant, Tier III-compliant setup that prevents power interruptions through battery-to-generator transitions.
Noun
-
Players have medical staff, three-minute cooling breaks midway through each half, regardless of temperatures, and other heat safeguards.
-
People who must be outside are advised to drink plenty of fluids, take frequent rest breaks and stay in the shade when possible.
Cite this Entry
“Pauses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pauses. Accessed 4 Jul. 2026.
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