as in hesitating
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
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 pausing
King was the last player to clamber up the steps, pausing at the head of the vehicle before fixing his eyes on Bill Cartwright.
—
Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 11 June 2026
Trump announced Project Freedom in early May -- pausing the effort just two days later.
—Luis Martinez, ABC News, 10 June 2026
The significance of what followed is worth pausing on.
—Ethan M. Stone, USA Today, 9 June 2026
Kenya’s High Court extends for another three weeks an order pausing construction of a the quarantine and treatment facility at Laikipia Air Base.
—Mary Whitfill Roeloffs, Forbes.com, 6 June 2026
After finally reaching a place of stability and peace in his gender identity, temporarily pausing that progress to donate his eggs carried significant emotional weight.
—Tereza Shkurtaj, PEOPLE, 6 June 2026
More shoppers are pausing in the grocery store to take a closer look at ingredient lists, especially since many products nowadays contain mysterious additives.
—Alexandra Banner, CNN Money, 3 June 2026
One of our top picks for private student loan refinancing, Earnest, has low rates and hardship options like pausing or reducing payments or temporary interest rate reductions for illness, unemployment and financial distress.
—John Csiszar, CNBC, 2 June 2026
But the distillery seems to be moving forward instead of pausing like so many others are doing at the moment, and the latest release is an expensive new bourbon that happens to be its oldest to date.
—Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 2 June 2026
Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 11 June 2026
Trump announced Project Freedom in early May -- pausing the effort just two days later.
—Luis Martinez, ABC News, 10 June 2026
The significance of what followed is worth pausing on.
—Ethan M. Stone, USA Today, 9 June 2026
Kenya’s High Court extends for another three weeks an order pausing construction of a the quarantine and treatment facility at Laikipia Air Base.
—Mary Whitfill Roeloffs, Forbes.com, 6 June 2026
After finally reaching a place of stability and peace in his gender identity, temporarily pausing that progress to donate his eggs carried significant emotional weight.
—Tereza Shkurtaj, PEOPLE, 6 June 2026
More shoppers are pausing in the grocery store to take a closer look at ingredient lists, especially since many products nowadays contain mysterious additives.
—Alexandra Banner, CNN Money, 3 June 2026
One of our top picks for private student loan refinancing, Earnest, has low rates and hardship options like pausing or reducing payments or temporary interest rate reductions for illness, unemployment and financial distress.
—John Csiszar, CNBC, 2 June 2026
But the distillery seems to be moving forward instead of pausing like so many others are doing at the moment, and the latest release is an expensive new bourbon that happens to be its oldest to date.
—Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 2 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pausing
hesitating
Verb
-
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.—
Craig Morgan Teicher,
Literary Hub,
1 June 2026
-
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.—
David Ornstein,
New York Times,
29 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pausing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pausing. Accessed 16 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
