Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular presenttense pauses, present participle pausing, past tense, past participle paused
1. verb
If you pause while you are doing something, you stop for a short period and then continue.
'It's rather embarrassing,' he began, and paused. [VERB]
He had to pause to clear his throat. [VERB]
He worked steadily, and fast, pausing only to toss away clumps of grass roots.
On leaving, she paused for a moment at the door. [VERB]
He talked for two hours without pausing for breath. [VERB + for]
Synonyms: stop briefly, delay, hesitate, break More Synonyms of pause
2. countable noun
A pause is a short period when you stop doing something before continuing.
After a pause Alex said sharply: 'I'm sorry if I've upset you'.
Synonyms: stop, break, delay, interval More Synonyms of pause
3.
See give sb pause for thought
pause in British English
(pɔːz)
verb
1. (intransitive)
to cease an action temporarily; stop
2. (intransitive)
to hesitate; delay
she replied without pausing
3. (transitive)
to interrupt temporarily the operation of (a device or process)
she paused the DVD
noun
4.
a temporary stop or rest, esp in speech or action; short break
5.
a control button on an electronic device that allows the temporary interruption of playback or recording
6. prosody another word for caesura
7. Also called: fermata music
a continuation of a note or rest beyond its normal length
Usual symbol:
8. give pause to
Derived forms
pausal (ˈpausal)
adjective
pauser (ˈpauser)
noun
pausing (ˈpausing)
noun, adjective
Word origin
C15: from Latin pausa pause, from Greek pausis, from pauein to halt
pause in American English
(pɔz)
noun
1.
a short period of inaction; temporary stop, break, or rest, as in speaking or reading
2.
hesitation; interruption; delay
pursuit without pause
3.
a.
a stop or break in speaking or reading, which clarifies meaning
b.
any mark of punctuation indicating this
4. Music
a.
the holding of a tone or rest beyond its written value, at the discretion of the performer
b.
a sign indicating this, written above the note or rest
5. Prosody
a rhythm break or caesura
verb intransitiveWord forms: paused or ˈpausing
6.
to make a pause; be temporarily inactive; stop; hesitate
7.
to dwell or linger
with on or upon
Idioms:
give someone pause
Derived forms
pauser (ˈpauser)
noun
Word origin
ME pawse < MFr pause < L pausa < Gr pausis, a stopping < pauein, to bring to an end < IE base *paus-, to let go > OPrus pausto, wild
COBUILD Collocations
pause
awkward pause
dramatic pause
long pause
pregnant pause
slight pause
Examples of 'pause' in a sentence
pause
They look to be due a pause for breath.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
This may sound scary but pause for a moment before reaching for the bleach.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
But you might want to pause for some breath.
The Sun (2017)
Let us pause for a moment to consider how outrageous that is.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
She pauses a moment before answering.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Chances are your accusations will have given your ex pause for thought and she may see this boyfriend in a different light.
The Sun (2016)
Shouldn't this give us pause for thought?
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
It's enough to make the most ardent capitalist pause for thought.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
But it's still a sight to give one pause for thought.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
A pause for breath, though, will do nobody any harm.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The mixed performance of recent technology floats is also giving them pause for thought.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
There was a short quite pause as the parents took this in.
Christianity Today (2000)
He strode to the door and there paused as her voice halted him.
Kathleen E. Woodiwiss THE WOLF AND THE DOVE
It is worth pausing here to consider an objection.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
She did not pause or stop to end the embarrassment.
Goshgarian, Gary Exploring language (6th edn) (1995)
She paused to rest her aching arms.
The Sun (2007)
It paused for breath last summer but has since been moving ahead.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The song consists of one or two piping notes with pauses between each burst.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
They pause in front of a large puddle.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
She paused for a moment but then agreed.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
So maybe any player pausing for thought would be interrupted by a call from his agent.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
But there are things to make the rest of us pause.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
She laughed off the awkward moment and paused and waved to photographers before leaving.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Certainly we should pause for serious thought.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Once more we seem to have embarked on military action without pausing to think where it could lead.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
People have wondered why he did not pause to consider the effects of his actions on his wife.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
These two manage to combine the clarity of the challenge and obfuscation of their solution without pausing for breath.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The senior of the inspectors paused at the door and looked back at Burnell.
Aldiss, Brian Somewhere East of Life (1994)
In a good popcorn movie, this sort of thing is acceptable in pauses between the action bits.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
A long pause often induces front rows to jump the gun and cause a reset or concede a penalty.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
Tourists will stop and pause.
The Sun (2015)
Using gaps between musical notes and the pauses at the ends of scores, the 130,000 study will measure echoes and how quickly sound dies away.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
Their eyes meeting in that way seemed to allow any length of pause: but wait as long as she would, how could she contradict herself!
George Eliot Daniel Deronda (1876)
Quotations
The right word may be effective, but no word was ever as effective as a rightly timed pauseMark Twain
In other languages
pause
British English: pause /pɔːz/ NOUN
A pause is a short period when something stops before it continues again.
There was a pause while she set down the plates.
American English: pause
Arabic: وَقْفَةٌ
Brazilian Portuguese: pausa
Chinese: 暂停
Croatian: stanka
Czech: pauza
Danish: pause
Dutch: pauze
European Spanish: pausa
Finnish: tauko
French: pause
German: Pause
Greek: παύση
Italian: pausa
Japanese: 小休止
Korean: 일시 중지
Norwegian: pause
Polish: pauza
European Portuguese: pausa
Romanian: pauză
Russian: пауза
Latin American Spanish: pausa
Swedish: paus
Thai: การหยุด
Turkish: duraklama
Ukrainian: пауза
Vietnamese: sự tạm ngừng
British English: pause VERB
If you pause while you are doing something, you stop for a short period and then continue.
It's rather embarrassing', he began, and paused.
American English: pause
Brazilian Portuguese: fazer uma pausa
Chinese: 停顿
European Spanish: hacer una pausa
French: s'arrêter
German: innehalten
Italian: fare una pausa
Japanese: 休止する
Korean: 잠깐 멈추다
European Portuguese: fazer uma pausa
Latin American Spanish: hacer una pausa
All related terms of 'pause'
long pause
A pause is a short period when you stop doing something before continuing .
awkward pause
A pause is a short period when you stop doing something before continuing .
pause button
a button on a video or music player which can be pressed to temporarily stop the playing of the recording
slight pause
A pause is a short period when you stop doing something before continuing .
dramatic pause
A pause is a short period when you stop doing something before continuing.
pregnant pause
A pause is a short period when you stop doing something before continuing.
give pause to
to cause to hesitate
give someone pause
to make someone hesitant or uncertain
give sb pause for thought
If something gives you pause for thought , it makes you think carefully about something, especially in a different way than you have thought about it before.
Chinese translation of 'pause'
pause
(pɔːz)
n(c)
(= temporary halt) 停顿(頓) (tíngdùn) (次, cì)
(Mus) 延长(長)号(號) (yánchánghào)
vi
(when speaking) 停顿(頓) (tíngdùn)
(when doing sth) 暂(暫)停 (zàntíng)
to pause for breath停下来(來)喘口气(氣) (tíng xiàlái chuǎn kǒu qì)
(verb)
Definition
to hesitate
He paused briefly before answering.
Synonyms
stop briefly
delay
The passengers were delayed by bad weather.
hesitate
She hesitated, debating whether to answer the phone.
break
They broke for lunch.
wait
I waited at the corner for the lights to go green.
rest
They rested only once that morning.
halt
They halted at a short distance from the house.
cease
A small number of firms have ceased trading.
interrupt
We interrupted our holiday to return to London.
deliberate
waver
take a break
discontinue
Do not discontinue the treatment without consulting your doctor.
desist
Kindly desist from making so much noise.
have a breather (informal)
Opposites
continue
,
advance
, progress,
proceed
(noun)
Definition
a temporary stop or rest in speech or action
There was a brief pause in the conversation.
Synonyms
stop
The last stop in his lengthy tour was Paris.
break
Nothing has been discussed that might lead to a break in the deadlock.
delay
Air restrictions might mean delays for Easter holidaymakers.
interval
During the interval, wine was served.
hesitation
stay
The court dismissed defence appeals for a permanent stay of execution.
wait
After a long wait, someone finally picked up the phone.
rest
He took a rest from teaching.
gap
There followed a gap of four years.
halt
Air traffic has been brought to a halt.
interruption
interruptions in the supply of food and fuel
respite
I rang home during a brief respite at work.
lull
a lull in the conversation
stoppage
interlude
It was a happy interlude in her life.
cessation
They would not agree to a cessation of hostilities.
let-up (informal)
There was no sign of any let-up in the battle on the money markets yesterday.
breathing space
We hope that it will give us some breathing space.
breather (informal)
Relax and take a breather whenever you feel that you need one.
intermission
Drinks were served during the intermission.
discontinuance
entr'acte
caesura
Opposites
advancement
,
progression
,
continuance
Quotation
The right word may be effective, but no word was ever as effective as a rightly timed pause [Mark Twain]
Additional synonyms
in the sense of break
Definition
to discontinue or become discontinued
They broke for lunch.
Synonyms
pause,
stop briefly,
stop,
rest,
halt,
cease,
take a break,
have a breather (informal)
in the sense of break
Definition
any sudden interruption in a continuous action
Nothing has been discussed that might lead to a break in the deadlock.
Synonyms
let-up (informal),
halt,
pause,
suspension,
lessening,
recess,
interruption,
respite,
lull,
cessation,
remission,
breathing space,
slackening,
hiatus
in the sense of breather
Definition
a short pause for rest
Relax and take a breather whenever you feel that you need one.
Synonyms
rest,
break,
halt,
pause,
recess,
breathing space,
breath of air
Synonyms of 'pause'
pause
Explore 'pause' in the dictionary
Additional synonyms
in the sense of breathing space
Definition
a short period during which a difficult situation temporarily becomes less severe
We hope that it will give us some breathing space.
Synonyms
respite,
break,
rest,
time to think
in the sense of cease
Definition
to bring or come to an end
A small number of firms have ceased trading.
Synonyms
discontinue,
end,
stop,
fail,
finish,
give up,
conclude,
suspend,
halt,
terminate,
break off,
refrain,
leave off,
give over (informal),
bring to an end,
desist,
belay
in the sense of cessation
Definition
an ending or pause
They would not agree to a cessation of hostilities.
Synonyms
ceasing,
ending,
break,
halt,
halting,
pause,
suspension,
interruption,
respite,
standstill,
stoppage,
termination,
let-up (informal),
remission,
abeyance,
discontinuance,
stay,
rest
in the sense of delay
Definition
to slow up or cause to be late
The passengers were delayed by bad weather.
Synonyms
hold up,
detain,
hold back,
stop,
arrest,
halt,
hinder,
obstruct,
retard,
impede,
bog down,
set back,
slow up
in the sense of delay
Definition
a period of inactivity or waiting before something happens or continues
Air restrictions might mean delays for Easter holidaymakers.
Synonyms
hold-up,
wait,
check,
setback,
interruption,
obstruction,
stoppage,
impediment,
hindrance
in the sense of desist
Definition
to stop doing
Kindly desist from making so much noise.
Synonyms
stop,
cease,
refrain from,
end,
kick (informal),
give up,
suspend,
break off,
abstain,
discontinue,
leave off,
have done with,
give over (informal),
forbear,
belay
in the sense of discontinuance
Synonyms
stopping,
stop,
suspension,
separation,
interruption,
stoppage,
termination,
cessation,
adjournment,
intermission,
disjunction,
discontinuation
in the sense of discontinue
Definition
to come or bring to an end
Do not discontinue the treatment without consulting your doctor.
Synonyms
stop,
end,
finish,
drop,
kick (informal),
give up,
abandon,
suspend,
quit,
halt,
pause,
cease,
axe (informal),
interrupt,
terminate,
break off,
put an end to,
refrain from,
leave off,
pull the plug on,
belay
in the sense of gap
Definition
an interruption or interval
There followed a gap of four years.
Synonyms
interval,
pause,
recess,
interruption,
respite,
lull,
interlude,
breathing space,
hiatus,
intermission,
lacuna,
entr'acte
in the sense of halt
Definition
to come to a stop or bring (someone or something) to a stop
They halted at a short distance from the house.
Synonyms
stop,
draw up,
pull up,
break off,
stand still,
wait,
rest,
call it a day,
belay
Additional synonyms
in the sense of halt
Definition
a temporary standstill
Air traffic has been brought to a halt.
Synonyms
stop,
end,
close,
break,
stand,
arrest,
pause,
interruption,
impasse,
standstill,
stoppage,
termination
in the sense of hesitate
Definition
to be slow and uncertain in acting
She hesitated, debating whether to answer the phone.
Synonyms
waver,
delay,
pause,
haver (British),
wait,
doubt,
falter,
be uncertain,
dither (British),
vacillate,
equivocate,
temporize,
hum and haw,
shillyshally (informal),
swither (Scottish, dialect)
in the sense of interlude
Definition
a period of time or different activity between longer periods or events
It was a happy interlude in her life.
Synonyms
interval,
break,
spell,
stop,
rest,
halt,
episode,
pause,
respite,
stoppage,
breathing space,
hiatus,
intermission,
entr'acte
in the sense of intermission
Definition
an interval between parts of a play, film, etc.
Drinks were served during the intermission.
Synonyms
interval,
break,
pause,
stop,
rest,
suspension,
recess,
interruption,
respite,
lull,
stoppage,
interlude,
cessation,
let-up (informal),
breathing space,
entr'acte
in the sense of interrupt
Definition
to stop (a process or activity) temporarily
We interrupted our holiday to return to London.
Synonyms
suspend,
break,
stop,
end,
cut,
stay,
check,
delay,
cease,
cut off,
postpone,
shelve,
put off,
defer,
break off,
adjourn,
cut short,
discontinue
in the sense of interruption
Definition
the act of interrupting or the state of being interrupted
interruptions in the supply of food and fuel
Synonyms
stoppage,
stop,
pause,
suspension,
cessation,
severance,
hiatus,
disconnection,
discontinuance
in the sense of interval
Definition
a short period between parts of a play, concert, etc.
During the interval, wine was served.
Synonyms
break,
interlude,
intermission,
rest,
gap,
pause,
respite,
lull,
entr'acte
in the sense of let-up
Definition
a lessening
There was no sign of any let-up in the battle on the money markets yesterday.
Synonyms
lessening,
break,
pause,
interval,
recess,
respite,
lull,
cessation,
remission,
breathing space,
slackening,
abatement
in the sense of lull
Definition
a short period of calm
a lull in the conversation
Synonyms
respite,
pause,
quiet,
silence,
calm,
hush,
tranquillity,
stillness,
let-up (informal),
calmness
in the sense of respite
Definition
an interval of rest
I rang home during a brief respite at work.
Synonyms
pause,
break,
rest,
relief,
halt,
interval,
relaxation,
recess,
interruption,
lull,
cessation,
let-up (informal),
breathing space,
breather (informal),
hiatus,
intermission
Additional synonyms
in the sense of rest
Definition
to cease or cause to cease from motion or exertion
They rested only once that morning.
Synonyms
stop,
have a break,
break off,
take a breather (informal),
stay,
halt,
cease,
discontinue,
knock off (informal),
desist,
come to a standstill
in the sense of rest
Definition
a pause or interval
He took a rest from teaching.
Synonyms
pause,
break,
breather (informal),
time off,
stop,
holiday,
halt,
interval,
vacation,
respite,
lull,
interlude,
cessation,
breathing space (informal),
intermission
in the sense of stay
Definition
the postponement of an order of a court of law
The court dismissed defence appeals for a permanent stay of execution.
Synonyms
postponement,
delay,
suspension,
stopping,
halt,
pause,
reprieve,
remission,
deferment
in the sense of wait
Definition
to stay in one place or remain inactive in expectation of something
I waited at the corner for the lights to go green.
Synonyms
stay,
remain,
stop,
pause,
rest,
delay,
linger,
hover,
hang around (informal),
dally,
loiter,
tarry,
w8
in the sense of wait
Definition
the act or a period of waiting
After a long wait, someone finally picked up the phone.