pause

1 of 2

noun

ˈpȯz 

1

: a temporary stop

2

a

: a break in a verse

b

: a brief suspension of the voice to indicate the limits and relations of sentences and their parts

3

: temporary inaction especially as caused by uncertainty : hesitation

4

a

: the sign denoting a fermata

b

: a mark (such as a period or comma) used in writing or printing to indicate or correspond to a pause of voice

5

: a reason or cause for pausing (as to reconsider)

a thought that should give one pause

6

: a function of an electronic device that pauses a recording

pause

2 of 2

verb

paused; pausing

intransitive verb

1

: to stop temporarily

2

: to linger for a time

transitive verb

: to cause to pause : stop

Synonyms

Noun

• break
• breath
• breather
• interruption
• lull
• recess

Verb

• break

Examples of pause in a Sentence

Noun

There was a brief pause in the conversation.

After a pause the teacher continued the lesson.

He hit pause on the player and explained the significance of the song's lyrics.

Please hit the pause button on the remote control.

Verb

She paused for a few seconds before crossing the street.

We paused briefly to look at the scenery.

He talked for over an hour without pausing.

He picked up the remote control and paused the movie.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The school’s graduate acting program was on pause last year and will be paused for the upcoming academic year (though graduate directing, playwriting and design programs are ongoing), as faculty continues to review and update the curriculum. —Caitlin Huston, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 June 2024

Elaine Schwartz, Alexandria Whoever was responsible for placing the Opinion columns by Kathleen Parker and Anne Lamott next to each other in the June 9 print edition gave me great pause. —Washington Post, 21 June 2024

Verb

The Democratic caucus ultimately paused the vote to take a recess after Assemblymember Corey Jackson (D-Perris) was physically restrained by his colleagues to stop him from confronting Essayli on the Assembly floor. —Mackenzie Mays, Los Angeles Times, 28 June 2024

In May, OpenAI paused a voice feature after Scarlett Johansson threatened the company with legal action following claims that the voice sounded like her own. —Victoria Feng, NBC News, 27 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Latin pausa, from Greek pausis, from pauein to stop

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Phrases Containing pause

• give (someone) pause
• give (someone) pause for thought
• without pause

Kids Definition

pause

1 of 2 noun

ˈpȯz 

1

: a temporary stop or rest

2

: the sign {fermata} placed over or under a musical note, chord, or rest to show that it is to be held longer than usual

3

: a reason for pausing

a thought that should give pause

pause

2 of 2 verb

paused; pausing

1

: to stop temporarily

2

: to linger for a time

pause on a high note

Etymology

Noun

Middle English pause "a temporary stop, pause," from Latin pausa "a pause" — related to repose entry 1