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
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Recent Examples of pause
Bay Area News Group, Mercury News, 6 Jan. 2026
The program, plagued from the outset by cost overruns and delays, was paused by the ICC at the end of 2023 to conduct an investigation into the best path forward after the surcharge expired.
—Robert Channick, Chicago Tribune, 6 Jan. 2026
Jordan Greene, PEOPLE, 5 Jan. 2026
Subscribe & Save Cancel or pause at any time.
—The Week Us, TheWeek, 5 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pause
Verb
In the South Bay, Contra Costa County paused all-electric building requirements and a natural gas ban for new construction while officials reviewed legal concerns raised by the Berkeley case.
—Noun
Calls and essential notifications still get through, but everything else is off-limits, giving users a literal pause from mindless scrolling.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for pause
Verb
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But Maye doesn’t hesitate to break the pocket and scramble towards daylight when things break down.—
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Many people like the idea of innovation but hesitate to share the road with fully autonomous vehicles.—
Noun
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Emilee Chinn / Getty Images Activity hit a lull after Edwin Díaz was introduced as the Los Angeles Dodgers’ new closer 26 days ago.—
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Hornick, the diner’s owner, said that despite the Logan Square spot struggling for many months — some days having a two-hour lull without a single customer — servers would turn a switch immediately as the door swung open.—
Noun
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In his view, hesitation invites escalation.—
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Despite some analyst hesitation that the popular running brands may be losing some of their steam in the market, both labels posted stellar earnings in their most recent quarterly reports.—
Verb
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Even one of the greatest ever to play this game, Joe Root, could not work out how to break free of the 36-year-old’s shackles here, failing to score a single run off him for 23 balls in a row before finally yielding to the python-like grip when missing one that homed in on his pads.—
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The Brisbane Stadium is expected to break ground this year, with a target completion date of 2031.—
Noun
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Everyday tasks like tying his shoes left him out of breath.—
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Her shooting, her suffering, her last breath.—
Noun
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Big money’s hesitancy Wall Street hasn’t jumped on board with the same fervor as the average Joe.—
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Their efforts were met with hesitancy from some families — installing sensors required Ayala to enter homes for installation, and some families had privacy concerns around providing data to the sensors.—
Noun
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In the meantime, Payton didn’t express much frustration over the interruptions to the team’s bye-week preparation.—
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Bed bugs aren’t covered in most plans, but interruption-for-any-reason coverage could help consumers recoup some of the unused trip expenses, according to Seven Corners.—
Noun
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Citing Chinese academic research, the report notes that financial and time pressures, especially the cost and burden of child care, are major factors contributing to families’ hesitance.—
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The judge continued to echo his hesitance following the reveal and shared an Instagram Stories post posing the question for fans.—
Cite this Entry
“Pause.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pause. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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