Synonyms of pauses

pauses 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of pause

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

• hesitates
• breaks
• interrupts
• stops
• finishes
• catches one's breath
• holds one's horses
• ceases
• ends
• terminates
• breaks in
• lapses
• discontinues
• lays off
• quits
• knocks off
• lets up

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• continues
• persists
• advances
• progresses
• extends
• stretches
• prolongs

pauses

2 of 2

noun

plural of pause

as in lulls

a momentary halt in an activity

there was a brief pause for applause in her speech

Synonyms & Similar Words

• lulls
• breaths
• interruptions
• breaks
• recesses
• intervals
• rests
• breathers
• intermissions
• interludes
• respites
• stoppages
• gaps
• suspensions
• lapses
• hitches
• time-outs
• cessations
• hiatuses
• downtimes
• endings
• interims
• discontinuances
• terminations
• discontinuities
• expirations
• moratoriums
• abeyances
• surceases

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• progresses
• continuations
• progressions
• extensions
• prolongations
• endurances
• persistences

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of pauses

Verb

The new spending comes as the group pauses ads in Georgia and North Carolina, states where Democratic candidates Jon Ossoff and Roy Cooper are favored to win. — Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 14 Oct. 2026

By default, the right earbud plays and pauses with a single tap, skips to the next track with a double tap, and turns the volume up with a tap-and-hold. — Christian De Looper, PC Magazine, 13 Oct. 2026

An employee pauses an invoice because something looks unusual. — Doug Shannon, Forbes.com, 6 Oct. 2026

Some of these changes are noticeable without any special technology, says Ibañez, including slower speech, longer pauses, a flatter emotional tone, trouble finding the right word, or vaguer, less specific language. — Tom Gavin, EverydayHealth.com, 1 Oct. 2026

Loud persistent snoring, sudden gasping or choking for air, waking with a dry mouth and breathing pauses a partner usually notices first. — Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 23 Sep. 2026

Clutching an aerial hoop on a Johannesburg circus stage, a young performer pauses for a split second before launching into the air and gliding, drawing cheers from the crowd below. — ABC News, 18 Sep. 2026

The conversation pauses every few moments to let a J, M, or Z train lumber loudly past us, but also because Green is someone who chooses her words with great care. — Simon Vozick-Levinson, Rolling Stone, 10 Sep. 2026

Both major candidates in the governor’s race embracing pauses on new data center developments is a likely reflection of Michigan voters' views on the facilities. — Clara Hendrickson, Freep.com, 10 Sep. 2026

Noun

Everyone stress-tests the checkout, then quietly buries returns, cancellations and subscription pauses. — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 2 Oct. 2026

But the situation is simply too perilous to entertain any more pauses. — Dmytro Kuleba, Foreign Affairs, 30 Sep. 2026

The most successful of these pauses come from listening to the audience and working with them. — Lucy Feldman, Time, 30 Sep. 2026

Try the cheap partner-side fixes first, match the mid-tier device to the type of snoring and escalate to a doctor the moment breathing pauses enter the picture. — Lauren Schuster, Charlotte Observer, 24 Sep. 2026

These short and intentional pauses from your tasks have been clinically proven to offer your weary brain a boost. — Cheryl Fenton, Flow Space, 23 Sep. 2026

Lynne Goldberg, meditation teacher and co-founder of the Breethe meditation app, told Real Simple that these pauses do the heavy lifting. — Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 22 Sep. 2026

Some deepfakes still have telltale flaws such as unnatural facial movements, lip-sync glitches, robotic speech or awkward pauses — but the technology is rapidly improving, a spokesperson for the organization said. — Emily Elconin For Cnn, CNN Money, 15 Sep. 2026

If pauses were put in place, wouldn’t that cost your business quite a lot of money, and Anthropic’s business quite a lot of money, ahead of these critical moments in public-market debuts? — Fortune Editors, Fortune, 15 Sep. 2026