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
Relevance
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.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of pauses
Deidre McPhillips, CNN Money, 22 Oct. 2025
Rental assistance pauses this year Johnston’s administration opted to halt the Temporary Rental and Utility Assistance program for the rest of the year as part of his cost-savings proposals, shifting more money to next year.
—Elliott Wenzler, Denver Post, 18 Oct. 2025
Several times a day, the incessant din of diesel engines pauses while the mats are delicately removed and placed in outsize tubs for washing.
—Charlie Campbell, Time, 15 Oct. 2025
Lupe opens the car door and pauses.
—Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 14 Oct. 2025
Hamas released all 20 remaining living hostages on Monday as part of the ceasefire that pauses two years of war.
—Jordan King, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Oct. 2025
Lina pauses in her work, sensing what’s about to happen.
—Hazlitt, 8 Oct. 2025
For many borrowers, the Biden-era pauses on federal student-loan payments have ended, and interest is once again accruing.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 3 Oct. 2025
Like a lot of preschool shows, Gabby pauses to ask the audience questions and invite them to play along.
—Sarah Whitten, CNBC, 28 Sep. 2025
Rolling Stone Culture Council, Rolling Stone, 22 Oct. 2025
Councilmembers Louie Rocha, Wilson, and Freitas believed that any changes to pauses should apply consistently to all boards and commissions, not just the oversight commission.
—Hema Sivanandam, Mercury News, 20 Oct. 2025
The factory in Astoria has been in almost continuous operation since 1873, with only temporary pauses in piano production during the Great Depression and World War II.
—Joel Williams, CNN Money, 18 Oct. 2025
Identifying when the clock starts, pauses, or ends is crucial because if the homeowner files a claim for compensation outside the statute of limitations, it can be barred.
—Sponsored Content, Denver Post, 16 Oct. 2025
Dratch also continued to giggle through lines for the rest of the sketch, and her occasional pauses to get her bearings were met with joyous applause from the SNL audience.
—Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Oct. 2025
In the unofficial demo, the humanoid responds to voice commands slowly and takes awkward pauses.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 26 Sep. 2025
Their words will have bolstered his belief, giving him the confidence to show for and collect the ball again in the defensive third just after the break, using a combination of touches and pauses to evade Brentford pressure before making a more assured sideways pass this time.
—Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 22 Sep. 2025
Businesses have attempted to limit the cost of tariffs from being passed on by rerouting supply chains, reworking operations, instituting hiring pauses, or administering large-scale layoffs.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 21 Sep. 2025
Verb
Lack of visibility on emerging threats is of particular concern because of surveillance pauses.
—Deidre McPhillips, CNN Money, 22 Oct. 2025
Rental assistance pauses this year Johnston’s administration opted to halt the Temporary Rental and Utility Assistance program for the rest of the year as part of his cost-savings proposals, shifting more money to next year.
—Elliott Wenzler, Denver Post, 18 Oct. 2025
Several times a day, the incessant din of diesel engines pauses while the mats are delicately removed and placed in outsize tubs for washing.
—Charlie Campbell, Time, 15 Oct. 2025
Lupe opens the car door and pauses.
—Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 14 Oct. 2025
Hamas released all 20 remaining living hostages on Monday as part of the ceasefire that pauses two years of war.
—Jordan King, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Oct. 2025
Lina pauses in her work, sensing what’s about to happen.
—Hazlitt, 8 Oct. 2025
For many borrowers, the Biden-era pauses on federal student-loan payments have ended, and interest is once again accruing.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 3 Oct. 2025
Like a lot of preschool shows, Gabby pauses to ask the audience questions and invite them to play along.
—Sarah Whitten, CNBC, 28 Sep. 2025
Noun
Inspiration lives in the little pauses.
—Rolling Stone Culture Council, Rolling Stone, 22 Oct. 2025
Councilmembers Louie Rocha, Wilson, and Freitas believed that any changes to pauses should apply consistently to all boards and commissions, not just the oversight commission.
—Hema Sivanandam, Mercury News, 20 Oct. 2025
The factory in Astoria has been in almost continuous operation since 1873, with only temporary pauses in piano production during the Great Depression and World War II.
—Joel Williams, CNN Money, 18 Oct. 2025
Identifying when the clock starts, pauses, or ends is crucial because if the homeowner files a claim for compensation outside the statute of limitations, it can be barred.
—Sponsored Content, Denver Post, 16 Oct. 2025
Dratch also continued to giggle through lines for the rest of the sketch, and her occasional pauses to get her bearings were met with joyous applause from the SNL audience.
—Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Oct. 2025
In the unofficial demo, the humanoid responds to voice commands slowly and takes awkward pauses.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 26 Sep. 2025
Their words will have bolstered his belief, giving him the confidence to show for and collect the ball again in the defensive third just after the break, using a combination of touches and pauses to evade Brentford pressure before making a more assured sideways pass this time.
—Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 22 Sep. 2025
Businesses have attempted to limit the cost of tariffs from being passed on by rerouting supply chains, reworking operations, instituting hiring pauses, or administering large-scale layoffs.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 21 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pauses
Verb
-
In the final scene, Lee hesitates for a moment before letting Stella choose.—
Hunter Ingram,
Variety,
22 Oct. 2025
-
If the alliance hesitates, Putin will see weakness and press harder.—
David A. Deptula,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
That led to a couple of scoring lulls, especially in the first half.—
Shreyas Laddha,
Kansas City Star,
25 Oct. 2025
-
For instance, why did the offense experience so many extended lulls against opposing bullpens (even as, in another contradiction, its overall performance against bullpens was in line with 2024)?—
Will Sammon,
New York Times,
9 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Marcus mimicked the last breaths of his younger brother.—
Emerson Clarridge,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
22 Oct. 2025
-
Let’s do a few more calming breaths.—
Susanna Wolff,
New Yorker,
20 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The interruptions during the examination proved costly, as the NFL fined the Giants $200,000, Daboll $100,000, and Skattebo $15,000 for violating the league’s concussion protocol, the NFL and NFLPA announced in a joint statement Friday.—
Ryan Canfield,
FOXNews.com,
24 Oct. 2025
-
The routine — which sparked some friendly interruptions at the judges' table — also earned three 10s and one 9.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
22 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
According to Austin Boyd of Heavy Sports, Bowers believes that Smith is a great person, a good locker room leader, and that so far, he's just had some unlucky breaks.—
Jon Conahan,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Oct. 2025
-
The Gee family has now settled down in Hawaii, only traveling during school breaks.—
Sari Hitchins,
Parents,
24 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pauses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pauses. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share