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
The agency then quickly deported her, moving her to Texas and then out of the country in two days, despite a federal judge in Massachusetts pausing her removal.
—
Emiliano Tahui Gómez, Austin American Statesman, 26 Feb. 2026
Guests lingered late, revisiting the portrait installations and pausing to watch the videos again before collecting goodie bags—with keepsakes from La Mer, Zip Water, California Closets, and James Hardie included, tying the event back to AD’s broader focus on world-class innovation.
—Andrea Navarro, Vogue, 25 Feb. 2026
The revelation has sent ripples through the state, pausing the Lowell murder trial of brothers Billy, Channa, and Billoeum Phan earlier this month.
—Colleen Cronin, Boston Herald, 24 Feb. 2026
After pausing for a beat in apparent shock, the actors continued their presentation.
—Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 23 Feb. 2026
That means making choices throughout your day that entail interaction—say, ordering coffee in person versus on an app or pausing to chat with the crossing guard.
—Erica Sloan, SELF, 19 Feb. 2026
Continue reading … POLICY PIVOT — NYC mayor Zohran Mamdani to resume clearing homeless encampments after pausing policy.
—FOXNews.com, 19 Feb. 2026
Sherrit International on Tuesday announced that the company is pausing nickel and cobalt mining operations in Cuba amid the fuel crunch.
—Patrick Oppmann, CNN Money, 18 Feb. 2026
The tragedy has many Californians pausing to reflect on the fine line between the thrill of backcountry skiing and the perils of extreme winter storms.
—James Ward, USA Today, 18 Feb. 2026
Emiliano Tahui Gómez, Austin American Statesman, 26 Feb. 2026
Guests lingered late, revisiting the portrait installations and pausing to watch the videos again before collecting goodie bags—with keepsakes from La Mer, Zip Water, California Closets, and James Hardie included, tying the event back to AD’s broader focus on world-class innovation.
—Andrea Navarro, Vogue, 25 Feb. 2026
The revelation has sent ripples through the state, pausing the Lowell murder trial of brothers Billy, Channa, and Billoeum Phan earlier this month.
—Colleen Cronin, Boston Herald, 24 Feb. 2026
After pausing for a beat in apparent shock, the actors continued their presentation.
—Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 23 Feb. 2026
That means making choices throughout your day that entail interaction—say, ordering coffee in person versus on an app or pausing to chat with the crossing guard.
—Erica Sloan, SELF, 19 Feb. 2026
Continue reading … POLICY PIVOT — NYC mayor Zohran Mamdani to resume clearing homeless encampments after pausing policy.
—FOXNews.com, 19 Feb. 2026
Sherrit International on Tuesday announced that the company is pausing nickel and cobalt mining operations in Cuba amid the fuel crunch.
—Patrick Oppmann, CNN Money, 18 Feb. 2026
The tragedy has many Californians pausing to reflect on the fine line between the thrill of backcountry skiing and the perils of extreme winter storms.
—James Ward, USA Today, 18 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pausing
hesitating
Verb
-
Igor Jesus fluffed his lines when Omari Hutchinson sent him through on goal, hesitating too long and allowing Virgil van Dijk to snatch the ball.—
Paul Taylor,
New York Times,
23 Feb. 2026
-
However, if large enterprises are hesitating to commit and implement, that’s a broader industry headwind impacting everyone, not just SAP.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pausing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pausing. Accessed 1 Mar. 2026.
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