Pause Definition and Meaning
By Tayyaba Rehman & Maham Liaqat — Updated on March 6, 2024
Pause refers to a temporary stop or break in action or speech. e.g., He took a brief pause to gather his thoughts before continuing.
Table of Contents
Pause Definitions
A brief suspension of activity.
The game was put on pause due to the rain.
A temporary stop in action or speech.
She took a pause to sip her water during the speech.
A short period of silence inserted into music or speech.
The musician added a dramatic pause before the final note.
To momentarily stop or hesitate.
He paused at the door, unsure whether to enter.
A control on an electronic device that stops playback.
I hit the pause button to answer the phone.
A momentary hesitation or break in thought.
There was a slight pause in the conversation as everyone reflected.
A punctuation mark (—) indicating a pause.
The em dash can introduce a pause in a sentence for emphasis.
A temporary cessation of conflict or hostilities.
The two sides agreed to a pause in fighting to negotiate.
A break or interlude in a journey or process.
We took a brief pause in our road trip to admire the view.
To interrupt or delay an ongoing process.
The project was paused due to budget constraints.
To cease or suspend an action temporarily
She paused in her piano exercises to listen for the baby.
To hesitate
He paused before replying.
To linger; tarry
We paused for a while under the huge oak tree.
To cease or suspend the action of temporarily; stop for an interim
Paused the printer to add more paper.
Paused the DVD with the remote.
A break, stop, or rest, often for a calculated purpose or effect
After a dramatic pause, the lawyer finished her summation.
A delay or suspended reaction, as from uncertainty; a hesitation
After a pause the audience broke into cheers.
Delay or hesitation
Spoke without pause for an hour.
Reason for hesitation
The immensity of the task gives one pause.
(Music) A sign, such as a fermata, indicating that a note or rest is to be held.
A break or rest in a line of poetry; a caesura.
A control mechanism on an audio or video player that halts the playing of a recording and permits playing to be easily resumed from the same point.
(intransitive) To take a temporary rest, take a break for a short period after an effort.
(intransitive) To interrupt an activity and wait.
When telling the scary story, he paused for effect.
(intransitive) To hesitate; to hold back; to delay.
(transitive) To halt the play or playback of, temporarily, so that it can be resumed from the same point.
To pause a song, a video, or a computer game
To consider; to reflect.
A temporary stop or rest; an intermission of action; interruption; suspension; cessation.
A short time for relaxing and doing something else.
Hesitation; suspense; doubt.
In writing and printing, a mark indicating the place and nature of an arrest of voice in reading; a punctuation mark.
Teach the pupil to mind the pauses.
A break or paragraph in writing.
(music) A sign indicating continuance of a note or rest.
Alternative spelling of Pause
Take pause: hesitate; give pause: cause to hesitate
A temporary stop or rest; an intermission of action; interruption; suspension; cessation.
Temporary inaction or waiting; hesitation; suspence; doubt.
I stand in pause where I shall first begin.
In speaking or reading aloud, a brief arrest or suspension of voice, to indicate the limits and relations of sentences and their parts.
In writing and printing, a mark indicating the place and nature of an arrest of voice in reading; a punctuation point; as, teach the pupil to mind the pauses.
A break or paragraph in writing.
He writes with warmth, which usually neglects method, and those partitions and pauses which men educated in schools observe.
A hold. See 4th Hold, 7.
To make a short stop; to cease for a time; to intermit speaking or acting; to stop; to wait; to rest.
Pausing a while, thus to herself she mused.
To be intermitted; to cease; as, the music pauses.
To hesitate; to hold back; to delay.
Why doth the Jew pause? Take thy forfeiture.
To stop in order to consider; hence, to consider; to reflect.
To cause to stop or rest; - used reflexively.
A time interval during which there is a temporary cessation of something
Temporary inactivity
Interrupt temporarily an activity before continuing;
The speaker paused
Cease an action temporarily;
We pause for station identification
Let's break for lunch
Pause Snonyms
Hesitate
To delay or pause before saying or doing something.
She hesitated before answering the question.
Interruption
A break in the continuity of something.
The power outage caused an interruption in service.
Intermission
A pause or break.
There will be a 15-minute intermission during the concert.
Lull
A temporary interval of quiet or lack of activity.
There was a lull in the conversation.
Breather
A short break for rest.
Let's take a breather before we continue hiking.
Stop
To come to an end; to cease moving.
The car stopped at the red light.
Break
A short interval or gap.
Let's take a break after two hours of work.
Respite
A short period of rest or relief from something difficult or unpleasant.
The weekend provided a much-needed respite from work.
Delay
A period of time by which something is late or postponed.
The flight's departure was delayed by an hour.
Hiatus
A pause or gap in a sequence, series, or process.
The band is on hiatus for the next few months.
Pause Idioms & Phrases
At a pause
In a state of temporary stoppage.
The project is at a pause until we receive more funding.
Pause for effect
Intentionally stopping to create suspense or emphasis.
The speaker paused for effect before revealing the answer.
Without pause
Continuously, without stopping.
She worked without pause to meet the deadline.
Pause and reflect
To stop what one is doing to think carefully.
It's important to pause and reflect on our achievements.
Give pause
To cause someone to stop and think.
The unexpected question gave her pause.
Pause for thought
To stop momentarily to think or reflect.
His remark made me pause for thought.
Press the pause button
To temporarily halt an activity or situation.
It's time to press the pause button on this argument and cool off.
A pregnant pause
A pause that is full of meaning or anticipation.
There was a pregnant pause before she announced the winner.
A brief pause
A short stop or break.
After a brief pause, the tour guide continued with the history of the castle.
Pause for breath
To stop momentarily to catch one's breath.
The runners paused for breath after the steep climb.
A moment's pause
A very short break or hesitation.
After only a moment's pause, he jumped into the pool.
On pause
Temporarily stopped or on hold.
The plans for the new building are on pause due to environmental concerns.
A pause in the conversation
A temporary lull or silence between exchanges of dialogue.
During the dinner, there was an occasional pause in the conversation.
Take a pause
To deliberately stop for a short period.
Let's take a pause and resume after lunch.
To hit pause
To decide to stop an activity temporarily.
We've decided to hit pause on our travel plans for now.
A tactical pause
A deliberate halt in activity for strategic planning or reassessment.
The team took a tactical pause to regroup and adjust their strategy.
Pause the world
To wish for a temporary stop to everything happening around.
Sometimes I just want to pause the world and get off for a while.
Pause button mentality
The tendency to want to stop or delay facing realities or challenges.
Relying too much on a pause button mentality can hinder personal growth.
The pause that refreshes
A break that provides needed rest or rejuvenation.
The weekend getaway was the pause that refreshes.
To come to a pause
To arrive at a point where something stops temporarily.
The heated debate came to a pause when the moderator intervened.
Pause Example Sentences
After a long pause, she finally answered the question.
The conversation had an awkward pause after the sensitive topic was brought up.
The audience was silent during the dramatic pause in the play.
During the movie, we took a quick pause for snacks.
The coach called for a pause in the training session.
The negotiations hit a pause when agreement couldn't be reached.
There was a noticeable pause before the storm resumed.
The runners took a pause to catch their breath.
The show was on pause while the technical issues were resolved.
The city was like a still image, the snow causing a pause in everyday hustle.
Common Curiosities
How many syllables are in pause?
There is 1 syllable in "pause."
How do we divide pause into syllables?
Pause is a single syllable word and is not divided.
How is pause used in a sentence?
During the debate, he took a short pause to collect his thoughts.
What is the pronunciation of pause?
Pause is pronounced as /pɔːz/.
What is the singular form of pause?
"Pause" remains unchanged as it is a verb; its singular form is "pause." As a noun, it is also "pause."
What is a stressed syllable in pause?
In "pause," the entire word forms the stressed syllable since it is monosyllabic.
Why is it called pause?
It's called "pause" because it denotes a temporary stop or interruption in activity or speech.
What is another term for pause?
Another term for "pause" is "break" or "halt."
What is the verb form of pause?
"Pause" itself is the base verb form.
What is the first form of pause?
The first (base) form is "pause."
What is the second form of pause?
The second (past simple) form is "paused."
What part of speech is pause?
"Pause" is primarily used as a verb and can also be a noun.
Is the pause term a metaphor?
"Pause" can be used metaphorically to describe a temporary stop or break in various contexts.
What is the root word of pause?
The root of "pause" comes from the Latin "pausa," meaning a stop or halt, which is derived from Greek "pausis."
What is the plural form of pause?
The plural form of "pause" (noun) is "pauses."
What is the opposite of pause?
The opposite of "pause" could be "continue" or "proceed."
Is pause an abstract noun?
As a noun, "pause" can be considered abstract since it refers to the concept of a temporary stop which is not tangible.
Is pause a vowel or consonant?
The word "pause" starts with a consonant.
Is the word pause imperative?
"Pause" can be used in the imperative mood as a command, e.g., "Pause the game."
Is pause a noun or adjective?
"Pause" is primarily a noun and can also be used as a verb.
Is pause a negative or positive word?
"Pause" is neutral; it can be positive or negative depending on the context.
What is the third form of pause?
The third (past participle) form is "paused."
Is pause a collective noun?
"Pause" is not a collective noun.
Which determiner is used with pause?
Determiners like "a" or "the" can be used with "pause" when it's used as a noun, e.g., "He took a brief pause."
Which preposition is used with pause?
Prepositions like "for" or "during" are commonly used with "pause," depending on the context, e.g., "She took a pause for lunch."
Is pause an adverb?
"Pause" is not an adverb.
Is pause a countable noun?
As a noun, "pause" is countable, e.g., "There were several pauses in her speech."
Is the word pause Gerund?
The gerund form of "pause" is "pausing," which acts as a noun.
Is the word “pause” a Direct object or an Indirect object?
"Pause" as a verb can have a direct object, e.g., "He paused the movie." As a noun, it could be a direct object, e.g., "He took a pause."
Which vowel is used before pause?
Typically, no specific vowel is used before "pause," but an article like "a" or "the" can precede it in a sentence.
Which conjunction is used with pause?
Conjunctions such as "and" or "but" can be used with "pause" to connect it to other ideas in a sentence, e.g., "He paused, and then he spoke."
Which article is used with pause?
The definite article "the" or the indefinite article "a" can be used with "pause" when it functions as a noun.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
Co-written by
Maham Liaqat
