pause
a temporary stop or rest, especially in speech or action: a short pause after each stroke of the oar.
a cessation of activity because of doubt or uncertainty; a momentary hesitation.
any comparatively brief stop, delay, wait, etc.: I would like to make a pause in my talk and continue after lunch.
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.
to make a brief stop or delay; wait; hesitate: He paused at the edge of the pool for a moment. I'll pause in my lecture so we can all get some coffee.
to dwell or linger (usually followed by on or upon): to pause upon a particular point.
Idioms about pause
give pause, to cause to hesitate or be unsure, as from surprise or doubt: These frightening statistics give us pause.
Origin of pause
1Other words for pause
Other words from pause
- pausal, adjective
- pauseful, adjective
- pause·ful·ly, adverb
- pauseless, adjective
- pause·less·ly, adverb
- pauser, noun
- paus·ing·ly, adverb
- non·pause, noun
- un·paus·ing, adjective
Words that may be confused with pause
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
British Dictionary definitions for pause
/ (pɔːz) /
to cease an action temporarily; stop
to hesitate; delay: she replied without pausing
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: Usual symbol:
give pause to to cause to hesitate
Origin of pause
1Derived forms of pause
- pausal, adjective
- pauser, noun
- pausing, noun, adjective
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with pause
see give pause.
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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