as in hesitating
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 pausing
Opponents argue agencies could avoid some of the service cuts officials have warned about by pausing capital improvement projects, including extensions.
—
Kenny Choi,
CBS News,
26 June 2026
To avoid rage-booking, experts suggest pausing before purchasing, getting a second opinion, and planning travel in advance.
—
Christopher Elliott,
USA Today,
26 June 2026
Practice pausing instead of reacting.
—
Marie Unger,
Forbes.com,
25 June 2026
But her earlier observation about how her students had changed over the years is worth pausing on, too.
—
Manoush Zomorodi,
STAT,
24 June 2026
But when county staff in March pitched the idea of pausing some future construction projects while reassessing financial realities, multiple commissioners suggested changing up or scrapping the resource center plans due to their high cost.
—
Mary Ramsey,
Charlotte Observer,
24 June 2026
Trump said before pausing and looking squarely at Costa.
—
David Zimmermann,
The Washington Examiner,
17 June 2026
Cover and blend, pausing to agitate mixture as needed, until slushy, 2 to 3 minutes.
—
Emily Teel,
Better Homes & Gardens,
13 June 2026
American had served Haiti for more than 50 years before pausing daily operations into Port-au-Prince and then suspending them indefinitely in December 2024.
—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
12 June 2026
Kenny Choi,
CBS News,
26 June 2026
To avoid rage-booking, experts suggest pausing before purchasing, getting a second opinion, and planning travel in advance.
—
Christopher Elliott,
USA Today,
26 June 2026
Practice pausing instead of reacting.
—
Marie Unger,
Forbes.com,
25 June 2026
But her earlier observation about how her students had changed over the years is worth pausing on, too.
—
Manoush Zomorodi,
STAT,
24 June 2026
But when county staff in March pitched the idea of pausing some future construction projects while reassessing financial realities, multiple commissioners suggested changing up or scrapping the resource center plans due to their high cost.
—
Mary Ramsey,
Charlotte Observer,
24 June 2026
Trump said before pausing and looking squarely at Costa.
—
David Zimmermann,
The Washington Examiner,
17 June 2026
Cover and blend, pausing to agitate mixture as needed, until slushy, 2 to 3 minutes.
—
Emily Teel,
Better Homes & Gardens,
13 June 2026
American had served Haiti for more than 50 years before pausing daily operations into Port-au-Prince and then suspending them indefinitely in December 2024.
—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
12 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pausing
hesitating
Verb
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The book does often feel like a recording of a mental jam session, but there is also a sense of being guided by a kind of hesitating yet urgent voice that needs to get things figured out.
-
While their rivals started spending significant sums of money as soon as the 2024-25 season finished, Spurs wasted a couple of weeks hesitating about the long-term future of then head coach Ange Postecoglou before replacing him with Thomas Frank.
Cite this Entry
“Pausing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pausing. Accessed 30 Jun. 2026.
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