pause

1 of 2

noun

ˈpȯz How to pronounce pause (audio)
Synonyms of pause
1
: a temporary stop
2
a
: a break in a verse
b
: a brief suspension of the voice to indicate the limits and relations of sentences and their parts
3
: temporary inaction especially as caused by uncertainty : hesitation
4
a
: the sign denoting a fermata
b
: a mark (such as a period or comma) used in writing or printing to indicate or correspond to a pause of voice
5
: a reason or cause for pausing (as to reconsider)
a thought that should give one pause
6
: a function of an electronic device that pauses a recording

pause

2 of 2

verb

paused; pausing

intransitive verb

1
: to stop temporarily
2
: to linger for a time

transitive verb

: to cause to pause : stop

Synonyms of pause

Relevance

Noun

Verb

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of pause in a Sentence

Noun There was a brief pause in the conversation. After a pause the teacher continued the lesson. He hit pause on the player and explained the significance of the song's lyrics. Please hit the pause button on the remote control. Verb She paused for a few seconds before crossing the street. We paused briefly to look at the scenery. He talked for over an hour without pausing. He picked up the remote control and paused the movie.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Another arguably bigger factor is the return of student debt payments and credit bureau reporting after a Covid-era pause. — Matt Egan, CNN Money, 25 Aug. 2026 There was a pause, as a room full of songwriters — the event was specifically for the Recording Academy’s Songwriters & Composers Wing — erupted into laughter. — Chris Willman, Variety, 25 Aug. 2026
Verb
Acting on an emergency appeal from the administration, the court ruled 5-4 that a federal judge wrongly paused the project until a legal fight could be resolved. — Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 1 Sep. 2026 Mastodon never broke up but paused after co-founding guitarist Brent Hinds died in a motorcycle accident less than six months after his controversial exit from the band. — Bob Gendron, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for pause

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Latin pausa, from Greek pausis, from pauein to stop

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of pause was in the 15th century

Phrases Containing pause

Rhymes for pause

See All Rhymes for pause

Browse Nearby Words

pausation
pause
pauseless
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Pause.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pause. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

pause

1 of 2 noun
ˈpȯz How to pronounce pause (audio)
1
: a temporary stop or rest
2
: the sign 𝄐 placed over or under a musical note, chord, or rest to show that it is to be held longer than usual
3
: a reason for pausing
a thought that should give pause

pause

2 of 2 verb
paused; pausing
1
: to stop temporarily
2
: to linger for a time
pause on a high note
Etymology

Noun

Middle English pause "a temporary stop, pause," from Latin pausa "a pause" — related to repose entry 1

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All