pause
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pause
suspension; interruption; a temporary stop: Put the tape on pause.; a momentary hesitation: He paused frequently during his speech to wait for the applause.
Not to be confused with:
paws – the feet of animals; to scrape with paws: The dog always paws the door to get in.
Abused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree Copyright © 2007, 2013 by Mary Embree
pause
(pôz)v. paused, paus·ing, paus·es
v.intr.
1. To cease or suspend an action temporarily: She paused in her piano exercises to listen for the baby.
2. To hesitate: He paused before replying.
3. To linger; tarry: We paused for a while under the huge oak tree.
v.tr.
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.
n.
1.
a. A break, stop, or rest, often for a calculated purpose or effect: After a dramatic pause, the lawyer finished her summation.
b. A delay or suspended reaction, as from uncertainty; a hesitation: After a pause the audience broke into cheers.
c. Delay or hesitation: spoke without pause for an hour.
d. Reason for hesitation: The immensity of the task gives one pause.
2.
a. Music A sign, such as a fermata, indicating that a note or rest is to be held.
b. A break or rest in a line of poetry; a caesura.
3. 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.
[From Middle English, pause, from Old French, from Latin pausa, from Greek pausis, from pauein, to stop.]
Synonyms: pause, intermission, recess, respite, suspension
These nouns denote a temporary stop, as in activity: a short pause in the conversation; a concert with a 15-minute intermission; the legislature's summer recess; toiling without respite; a suspension of work.
These nouns denote a temporary stop, as in activity: a short pause in the conversation; a concert with a 15-minute intermission; the legislature's summer recess; toiling without respite; a suspension of work.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
pause
(pɔːz)vb (intr)
1. to cease an action temporarily; stop
2. to hesitate; delay: she replied without pausing.
n
3. a temporary stop or rest, esp in speech or action; short break
4. (Poetry) prosody another word for caesura
5. (Music, other) music Also called: fermata a continuation of a note or rest beyond its normal length. Usual symbol: 
6. give pause to to cause to hesitate
[C15: from Latin pausa pause, from Greek pausis, from pauein to halt]
ˈpausal adj
ˈpauser n
ˈpausing n, adj
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
pause
(pɔz)n., v. paused, paus•ing. n.
1. a temporary stop or rest, esp. in speech or action.
2. a break in speaking or reading to emphasize or clarify meaning, indicated in writing with punctuation.
3. a break or suspension, as a caesura, in a line of verse.
4. fermata.
v.i. 5. to make a brief stop or delay; wait; hesitate.
6. to dwell or linger (usu. fol. by on or upon).
Idioms: give pause, to cause to hesitate or reconsider, as from surprise or doubt.
[1400–50; Middle English < Latin pausa < Greek paûsis a halt =paú(ein) to stop + -sis -sis]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
Pause
See Also: CAUTION
- Cease like a dropped watch —Henry James
- Everybody froze with expectation like an orchestra when the conductor raises his baton —George Garrett
- Faltered, chewing on his words sourly and fatuously, like an old cow —William Styron
- (We) froze [at seeing an unknown, staring man] as rabbits do —Rumer Godden
- Halted, suddenly trembling, like a person armed to defend himself against wild animals, but on meeting one face to face is immediately turned to stone —Jean Stafford
See Also: TREMBLING
- Hesitated like a cat testing an opening with its whiskers —William McIlvanney
- A pause, barely noticeable, like a sight between one word and another —Kent Nelson
- Shrieked to a trembling stop like a dog on a yanked leash —George Garrett
- (Sky and earth did one last slow turn and) wobbled to a halt like a coin coming to rest on a bartop —Loren D. Estleman
- Slowed down gradually, like a merry-go-round after a ride —Eudora Welty
- Stalled like a whale —John Malcolm Brinnin
- Stopped short, like a radio cut off on a crescendo —Frank Tuohy
- Stopped speaking for a moment, like a man walking who comes to a brink —John Fowles
- Stopped there cold, like a man raking piles of dead leaves in his yard who has turned up a severed hand —W. D. Snodgrass
- Stops [suddenly] as though shot in the back —Erich Maria Remarque
- Stumbled to a halt like sheep in a chute —Will Weaver
- Suddenly there was a lull in my mind, like the détente after a retreating thunderstorm —L. P. Hartley
- Talk died … as if the voices in the room were on tape and someone had pulled the plug —Will Weaver
Similes Dictionary, 1st Edition. © 1988 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
pause
Past participle: paused
Gerund: pausing
| Imperative |
|---|
| pause |
| pause |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
| Noun | 1. |  pause - a time interval during which there is a temporary cessation of somethinginterval, time interval - a definite length of time marked off by two instants lapse - a break or intermission in the occurrence of something; "a lapse of three weeks between letters" blackout - a suspension of radio or tv broadcasting caesura - a pause or interruption (as in a conversation); "after an ominous caesura the preacher continued" dead air - an inadvertent interruption in a broadcast during which there is no sound delay, postponement, time lag, wait, hold - time during which some action is awaited; "instant replay caused too long a delay"; "he ordered a hold in the action" halftime - an intermission between the first and second half of a game rest period, rest, respite, relief - a pause for relaxation; "people actually accomplish more when they take time for short rests" time-out - a brief suspension of play; "each team has two time-outs left" |
| 2. | pause - temporary inactivity inactivity - being inactive; being less active time out, respite, break, recess - a pause from doing something (as work); "we took a 10-minute break"; "he took time out to recuperate" falter, faltering, waver, hesitation - the act of pausing uncertainly; "there was a hesitation in his speech" intermission - the act of suspending activity temporarily | |
| Verb | 1. | pause - interrupt temporarily an activity before continuing; "The speaker paused" hem and haw - utter `hems' and `haws'; indicated hesitation; "He hemmed and hawed when asked to address the crowd" scruple - hesitate on moral grounds; "The man scrupled to perjure himself" delay - act later than planned, scheduled, or required; "Don't delay your application to graduate school or else it won't be considered" |
| 2. | pause - cease an action temporarily; "We pause for station identification"; "let's break for lunch" cut off, disrupt, interrupt, break up - make a break in; "We interrupt the program for the following messages" catch one's breath, take a breather, rest, breathe - take a short break from one's activities in order to relax take five - take a break for five minutes; "The musicians took five during the rehearsal" take ten - take a ten minute break; "The players took ten during the long rehearsal" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
pause
verb
noun
1. stop, break, delay, interval, hesitation, stay, wait, rest, gap, halt, interruption, respite, lull, stoppage, interlude, cessation, let-up (informal), breathing space, breather (informal), intermission, discontinuance, entr'acte, caesura There was a brief pause in the conversation.
stop advancement, progression, continuance
stop advancement, progression, continuance
Quotations
"The right word may be effective, but no word was ever as effective as a rightly timed pause" [Mark Twain]
"The right word may be effective, but no word was ever as effective as a rightly timed pause" [Mark Twain]
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
pause
verbnoun
1. A cessation of continuity or regularity:
2. The act of hesitating or state of being hesitant:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
تَوَقُّفعَلامَة تَوَقُّف، تَوَقُّفوَقْفَةٌيَتَوَقَّف
pauzapřestávkaudělatkoruna
pausefermategøre opholdholde pauseophold
paŭzo
taukoväliaikakatkokeskeytyslepoaika
stanka
koronaszünetszünetet tart
gera hléhléòögn; òagnarmerki
小休止
일시 중지
padaryti pertraukąpauzė
fermātapārtraukt uz brīdipauze, pārtraukumstaisīt pauzi
pausepauze
urobiť si prestávku
narediti premorpremor
odmorstanka
paus
การหยุด
sự tạm ngừng
pause
[pɔːz]A. N
1. (= interruption) → pausa f (also Mus); (= silence) → silencio m; (= rest) → descanso m
after a moment's pause he went on speaking → tras una breve pausa continuó hablando
there was a pause while the rest came in → se hizo una pausa mientras entraban los demás
there was a pause for refreshments → hubo un descanso para tomar refrigerios
there was an awkward pause in the conversation → se produjo un silencio incómodo en medio de la conversación
to give sb pause; give pause to sb → hacer vacilar a algn
to give sb pause for thought → dar que pensar a algn
without (a) pause → sin interrupción
after a moment's pause he went on speaking → tras una breve pausa continuó hablando
there was a pause while the rest came in → se hizo una pausa mientras entraban los demás
there was a pause for refreshments → hubo un descanso para tomar refrigerios
there was an awkward pause in the conversation → se produjo un silencio incómodo en medio de la conversación
to give sb pause; give pause to sb → hacer vacilar a algn
to give sb pause for thought → dar que pensar a algn
without (a) pause → sin interrupción
B. VI (in activity) → hacer un descanso; (when speaking) → callarse (momentáneamente), detenerse; (when moving) → detenerse
we paused for a break half-way through the afternoon → paramos a descansar a media tarde
let's pause here → hagamos un descanso aquí
it made him pause → le hizo vacilar
to pause for breath → detenerse para tomar aliento
we paused for a break half-way through the afternoon → paramos a descansar a media tarde
let's pause here → hagamos un descanso aquí
it made him pause → le hizo vacilar
to pause for breath → detenerse para tomar aliento
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
pause
n → Pause f; a hesitant pause → ein kurzes Zögern; an anxious/a pregnant pause → ein ängstliches/vielsagendes Schweigen; there was a pause while … → es entstand eine Pause, während …; to have a pause → (eine) Pause machen; without (a) pause → ohne Unterbrechung, pausenlos, ununterbrochen; to give somebody pause (for thought) (esp liter) → jdm zu denken geben, jdn nachdenklich stimmen
vi
(= stop for a short while) → stehen bleiben, stoppen (inf); (speaker) → innehalten; can’t we pause for a bit, I’m exhausted → können wir nicht eine kurze Pause machen, ich bin erschöpft; he paused dramatically → er legte eine Kunstpause ein; pause before you act → überlege erst mal, bevor du etwas tust; he paused for breath/for a drink → er machte eine Pause, um Luft zu holen/etwas zu trinken; to pause for thought → (zum Nachdenken) innehalten; he spoke for thirty minutes without once pausing → er sprach eine halbe Stunde ohne eine einzige Pause; let’s pause here → machen wir hier Pause; it made him pause → das machte ihn nachdenklich
vt video, tape etc → anhalten
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
pause
[pɔːz]1. n → pausa (Mus) → pausa; (sign) → corona
there was a pause while ... → ci fu un momento di attesa mentre...
there was a pause while ... → ci fu un momento di attesa mentre...
2. vi (gen) → fermarsi un momento; (in speech) → fare una pausa
to pause for breath → fermarsi un attimo per riprendere fiato
to pause for breath → fermarsi un attimo per riprendere fiato
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
pause
(poːz) noun1. a short stop, break or interval (while doing something). There was a pause in the conversation.
2. the act of making a musical note or rest slightly longer than normal, or a mark showing that this is to be done.
verb to stop talking, working etc for a short time. They paused for a cup of tea.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
pause
→ وَقْفَةٌ pauza pause Pause παύση pausa tauko pause stanka pausa 小休止 일시 중지 pauze pause pauza pausa пауза paus การหยุด duraklama sự tạm ngừng 暂停Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009
pause
n. pausa, interrupción; paro;
compensatory ___ → ___ compensatoria;
v.
to give ___ → dar que pensar.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012