pause
Americannoun
-
a temporary stop or rest, especially in speech or action.
a short pause after each stroke of the oar.
- Synonyms:
- lacuna, hiatus, halt, break, interruption, suspension
-
a cessation of activity because of doubt or uncertainty; a momentary hesitation.
- Synonyms:
- lacuna, hiatus, halt, break, interruption, suspension
-
any comparatively brief stop, delay, wait, etc..
I would like to make a pause in my talk and continue after lunch.
- Synonyms:
- lacuna, hiatus, halt, break, interruption, suspension
-
a break or rest in speaking or reading to emphasize meaning, grammatical relation, metrical division, etc., or in writing or printing by the use of punctuation.
-
Prosody. a break or suspension, as a caesura, in a line of verse.
-
Music. a fermata.
verb (used without object)
idioms
verb
-
to cease an action temporarily; stop
-
to hesitate; delay
she replied without pausing
noun
-
a temporary stop or rest, esp in speech or action; short break
-
prosody another word for caesura
-
Also called: fermata. music a continuation of a note or rest beyond its normal length
-
to cause to hesitate
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
pauselessadjective
-
pauselesslyadverb
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pausernoun
-
unpausingadjective
-
pausingnoun
-
pausefuladjective
-
nonpausenoun
-
pausefullyadverb
-
pausinglyadverb
-
pausaladjective
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
have pausedperfect
-
has pausedperfect 3rd person singular
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has been pausingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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is pausingprogressive 3rd person singular
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have been pausingperfect progressive
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am pausingprogressive 1st person singular
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pausessingular 3rd person
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are pausingprogressive
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pausingparticiple
Past
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had pausedperfect
-
had been pausingperfect progressive
-
were pausingprogressive plural
-
was pausingprogressive singular
-
pausedsimple
-
pausedparticiple
Future
Etymology
Origin of pause
First recorded in 1400–50; (for the noun) Middle English, from Latin pausa, from Greek paûsis “a halt,” from paú(ein) “to stop” + -sis -sis; verb derivative of the noun
Explanation
The noun pause means "a short break," like the pauses in television shows that allow for commercials to be shown. Pause can also be a verb that means "to stop for a short time." Teachers, for example, often pause after making an important point to check that students understand and to give them time to ask questions. Pause which rhymes with laws and cause, comes from the Greek word pausis, "stopping, ceasing," which comes from pauein "to stop, to cause to cease." Why don't you pause and think about that for a moment.
Vocabulary lists containing pause
The Best Starting Words for Wordle
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"Thank You, M'am"
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"Because I Could Not Stop for Death" by Emily Dickinson
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Messrs. Cornett and Bradway, playing brothers, look enough alike to give one pause at least in the early part of the eight-episode season, and the flashes back and forth are frequent.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026
The game clock is constantly ticking, there's no pause for stoppages.
From BBC • Jun. 9, 2026
Oil prices were edging down early on Tuesday as President Donald Trump appeared to succeed in persuading Israel and Iran to pause fighting.
From Barron's • Jun. 9, 2026
Some of Pulte’s annotations might give pause to those already worried about him overseeing America’s intelligence community.
From Salon • Jun. 9, 2026
I pause, watching Father and Caesar caring for Belle and Midnight.
From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
