as in hesitating
to come to a temporary halt in one's activity
he paused for a moment to regain his composure
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Recent Examples of pausing
Also on his to-do list is an order to temporarily pausing certain city contracts, while suspending others.
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Verónica Egui Brito, Miami Herald, 12 Jan. 2026
What's gone is Planned Parenthood of Western Pennsylvania is temporarily pausing certain services at its locations in the region.
—Lauren Linder, CBS News, 10 Jan. 2026
Why Moms Don’t Take Care of Themselves Between guilt, a lack of options, and that maternal pull toward caring for your kids, experts agree that when mom gets sick, most times pausing to rest and recuperate simply isn’t realistic.
—Melissa Willets, Parents, 10 Jan. 2026
Achieving this balance can manifest in different ways, whether by taking a deep breath during a heated exchange, pausing for a few minutes to refresh your perspective, or even taking a break for lunch—or in some cases, a midnight snack.
—Sudhakar Ramakrishna, Fortune, 8 Jan. 2026
Semprevivo, Riverside’s attorney, objected to the testimony, pausing the proceedings before Powell could answer fully.
—Luke Cyphers, Rolling Stone, 8 Jan. 2026
Debuting her new platinum blond hair, Hadid was seen hitting stores with friends — at one point toting a large Revolve x Fwrd bag — and pausing to snap photos with fans.
—Kelsey Stewart, Footwear News, 3 Jan. 2026
Given how big a role your credit score plays in the rates you are quoted, pausing your search to boost your score can also make a major difference, and possibly account for sizable savings.
—Becca Stanek, TheWeek, 1 Jan. 2026
To resolve this problem, start by pausing the cycle and redistributing the laundry in the drum according to its weight and size.
—Timothy Dale, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pausing
hesitating
Verb
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Despite unified denouncements of antisemitism, Fetterman criticized colleagues for hesitating to fully confront anti-Israel hostility.—
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After a 5% rebound rally, the benchmark is hesitating a bit around 6850, comfortably near the upper end of a two-month range but perhaps marking some time to gather itself ahead of next week's Fed meeting.—
Cite this Entry
“Pausing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pausing. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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