as in to hesitate
to come to a temporary halt in one's activity
he paused for a moment to regain his composure
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in lull
a momentary halt in an activity
there was a brief pause for applause in her speech
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in hesitation
a state or an instance of temporary inaction because of uncertainty about the right course of action
the question caught the professor off guard, and there was a pause before he responded
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of pause
Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 16 Mar. 2025
While Trump temporarily paused tariffs for Mexico and Canada, uncertainty looms, leaving businesses and consumers on edge.
—Axios, 15 Mar. 2025
Mark Davis, Newsweek, 14 Mar. 2025
The pause of several seconds that followed was the only time in a half-hour conversation Wednesday morning — inside the office that now bears his name at the entrance — that a response was not immediate.
—Kevin Acee, Chicago Tribune, 14 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pause
Verb
Sporting looked dead in the water: Shoulders slumped and players paused to look up at the sky after a giveaway before jumping back in to try and win the ball back.
—Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 16 Mar. 2025
While Trump temporarily paused tariffs for Mexico and Canada, uncertainty looms, leaving businesses and consumers on edge.
—Axios, 15 Mar. 2025
Noun
Trump has issued a pause on Canadian and Mexican goods that meet the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA) criteria from a 25 percent tariffs until April 2.
—Mark Davis, Newsweek, 14 Mar. 2025
The pause of several seconds that followed was the only time in a half-hour conversation Wednesday morning — inside the office that now bears his name at the entrance — that a response was not immediate.
—Kevin Acee, Chicago Tribune, 14 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pause
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pause
Verb
-
Reach out to people, don’t hesitate to ask questions and don’t always focus on specializing—the world out there today is (often) seeking generalists.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes,
10 Mar. 2025
-
Here’s to the week ahead, and don’t hesitate to reach out.—
Quartz Staff,
Quartz,
9 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
There’s a bit of a lull in the dining room as Lira scans the tables.—
Cindy Carcamo,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Mar. 2025
-
With the exception of a lull on the 16th, strong wind has been the norm around here since last week.—
Matthew Adams,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
19 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
The same hesitation existed with computers, the internet, and smartphones.—
Dr. Diane Hamilton,
Forbes,
10 Mar. 2025
-
TikTok Reacts Jensen's transformation sparked a wave of reactions in the comments section, with viewers split between admiration and hesitation.—
Russel Honoré,
Newsweek,
5 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Within months, Meta broke ground on a sixth and seventh Utah data center beside the other five.—
Cade Metz,
New York Times,
17 Mar. 2025
-
Senior Lily Cooper broke the school’s all-time scoring record, boys and girls, of 1,333 points set by Val DePaolo in 1979.—
Lori Riley,
Hartford Courant,
17 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Going through a divorce is like holding your breath.—
Giana Levy,
refinery29.com,
10 Mar. 2025
-
With Gerrit Cole’s elbow an issue for the second straight spring, the Yankees are holding their collective breath.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
10 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
That's an encouraging step, but consistency on the importance of vaccination is needed to overcome current levels of public hesitancy.—
Mark Davis,
Newsweek,
14 Mar. 2025
-
The team’s hesitancy stemmed, in part, from its existing collection of nine-figure contracts.—
Dennis Lin,
The Athletic,
20 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Piker talked, almost without interruption, for four more hours, holding forth about recent internet drama, a documentary about the history of NATO, and the UnitedHealthcare C.E.O.’s assassin, who had not yet been identified.—
Andrew Marantz,
The New Yorker,
17 Mar. 2025
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The proposal also resets relations in the U.S.-Russia-Ukraine triangle, after a heated late February White House clash between Trump and Zelenskyy and the temporary interruption of U.S. military aid to Kyiv seemed poised to thrust Washington deeper into the Kremlin’s orbit.—
Ruxandra Iordache,
CNBC,
14 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Some Republican lawmakers have expressed hesitance to focus on a DOGE dividend rather than lowering the national deficit or expanding tax cuts, according to Forbes.—
Camila Pedrosa,
Sacramento Bee,
12 Mar. 2025
-
Soren Toft and Vincent Clerc, the CEOs of Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) and Maersk, respectively, have called out the lack of safety guarantees as the top reason for their hesitance to return.—
Glenn Taylor,
Sourcing Journal,
10 Mar. 2025
Articles Related to pause
Cite this Entry
“Pause.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pause. Accessed 23 Mar. 2025.
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