hiatus

noun

hi·​a·​tus hī-ˈā-təs 

1

a

: a break in or as if in a material object : gap

the weedy hiatus between the town and the railroad

—Willa Cather

the hiatus between the theory and the practice of the party

—J. G. Colton

b

biology : a gap or passage in an anatomical part or organ

2

a

: an interruption in time or continuity : break

especially : a period when something (such as a program or activity) is suspended or interrupted

after a 5-year hiatus from writing

a summer hiatus

b

: the occurrence of two vowel sounds without pause or intervening consonantal sound

Did you know?

This brief hiatus in your day is brought to you by, well, hiatus. While the word now most often refers to a temporary pause, hiatus originally referred to a physical opening in something, such as the mouth of a cave, or, as the 18th century British novelist Laurence Sterne would have it, a sartorial gap: in the wildly experimental novel Tristram Shandy, Sterne wrote of “the hiatus in Phutatorius’s breeches.” Hiatus comes from the Latin verb hiare, meaning “to open wide,” which makes it a distant relation of both yawn and chasm. And that’s all we have for now—you may resume your regular activities.

Synonyms

• breach
• break
• discontinuity
• gap
• gulf
• hole
• interstice
• interval
• opening
• rent
• rift
• separation
• void

Examples of hiatus in a Sentence

The band is making an album again after a five-year hiatus.

steam was rising from an hiatus in the ground

Recent Examples on the Web

For instance, in May, China held a trilateral summit with South Korea and Japan after a five-year hiatus. —Sungmin Cho, Foreign Affairs, 12 Nov. 2024

After a hiatus that lasted 40 years, ABBA returned with new music in 2021. —Hugh McIntyre, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024

After a three-year hiatus, Apple finally refreshed the iPad Mini with a new seventh generation model for 2024. —Rudie Obias, Variety, 4 Nov. 2024

From the archives: Lonzo Ball (Los Angeles Times) After a two-year hiatus because of injuries, former Chino Hills standout Lonzo Ball has returned to playing for the Chicago Bulls. —Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin, from hiare to yawn — more at yawn

First Known Use

1563, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing hiatus

• go on hiatus
• put on hiatus

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!

Kids Definition

hiatus

noun

hi·​a·​tus hī-ˈāt-əs 

plural hiatuses

: a gap in space or time

especially : a break where a part is missing

Medical Definition

hiatus

noun

hi·​a·​tus hī-ˈāt-əs 

: a gap or passage through an anatomical part or organ

especially : an opening through which another part or organ passes (such as the opening in the diaphragm through which the esophagus and vagus nerves pass)