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pause
[ pawz ]
noun
- 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)
pause
/ pɔːz /
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 calledfermata music a continuation of a note or rest beyond its normal length Usual symbol
- give pause toto cause to hesitate
Derived Forms
- ˈpausal, adjective
- ˈpauser, noun
- ˈpausing, nounadjective
Other Words From
- pausal adjective
- pauseful adjective
- pauseful·ly adverb
- pauseless adjective
- pauseless·ly adverb
- pauser noun
- pausing·ly adverb
- non·pause noun
- un·pausing adjective
Word History and Origins
Word History and Origins
Origin of pause1
Idioms and Phrases
- give pause, to cause to hesitate or be unsure, as from surprise or doubt:
These frightening statistics give us pause.
More idioms and phrases containing pause
see give pause .Example Sentences
The Minnesota Wild, on pause for the past week, announced Thursday that it will reopen for team activities Friday.
The one aspect of this dish that initially gave me pause was the tomatoes, given the time of year.
Yes, I of course refer to the SEO industry and yes, you may take a small pause here to go through the above statement to see if it works.
Though Smith went 5-1 as a starter, the bone bruise that kept him from starting three of the year’s final four games gave everyone pause.
Saint Louis came off a month-plus pause and promptly lost at home to Dayton.
But pause for a second, and look back at what these generations of regulators and lawmakers have created.
After a pause she invited me in with a warm smile, as if I were a neighbor.
I had to pause for sheep crossing the road, which is a common occurrence when driving through the Highlands of Scotland.
According to James Madison, there was “a considerable pause.”
We continuously pause to pull them out while Zalwar Khan and his companion smirk at us and chew unbothered.
After a minute's pause, while he stood painfully silent, she resumed in great emotion.
In fact, his appearance was so formidable that Davy did not pause for a second look, but started off at the top of his speed.
There was a pause, during which Blanche went through a little mute exhibition of amazement and pleasure.
For who, while tears are falling, will pause to handle the wreaths, and find whether they are genuine?
There was a moment's pause, and Doa Inez returned into the saloon, which was now beginning rapidly to fill.
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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.
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