pauses 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of pause
as in hesitates
to come to a temporary halt in one's activity he paused for a moment to regain his composure

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

pauses

2 of 2

noun

plural of pause
as in lulls
a momentary halt in an activity there was a brief pause for applause in her speech

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of pauses
Verb
The new spending comes as the group pauses ads in Georgia and North Carolina, states where Democratic candidates Jon Ossoff and Roy Cooper are favored to win. — Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 14 Oct. 2026 By default, the right earbud plays and pauses with a single tap, skips to the next track with a double tap, and turns the volume up with a tap-and-hold. — Christian De Looper, PC Magazine, 13 Oct. 2026 An employee pauses an invoice because something looks unusual. — Doug Shannon, Forbes.com, 6 Oct. 2026 Some of these changes are noticeable without any special technology, says Ibañez, including slower speech, longer pauses, a flatter emotional tone, trouble finding the right word, or vaguer, less specific language. — Tom Gavin, EverydayHealth.com, 1 Oct. 2026 Loud persistent snoring, sudden gasping or choking for air, waking with a dry mouth and breathing pauses a partner usually notices first. — Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 23 Sep. 2026 Clutching an aerial hoop on a Johannesburg circus stage, a young performer pauses for a split second before launching into the air and gliding, drawing cheers from the crowd below. — ABC News, 18 Sep. 2026 The conversation pauses every few moments to let a J, M, or Z train lumber loudly past us, but also because Green is someone who chooses her words with great care. — Simon Vozick-Levinson, Rolling Stone, 10 Sep. 2026 Both major candidates in the governor’s race embracing pauses on new data center developments is a likely reflection of Michigan voters' views on the facilities. — Clara Hendrickson, Freep.com, 10 Sep. 2026
Noun
Those include scrapping several existing repayment options and doing away with payment pauses for struggling student loan borrowers. — Kate Dore, Cfp®, Ea,jessica Dickler,sarah Agostino,greg Iacurci,lorie Konish,annie Nova,sharon Epperson,stephanie Dhue, CNBC, 27 Oct. 2026 In September 2024, in the middle of combat, Israel agreed to daily nine-hour pauses so that 560,000 Palestinian children could get polio drops. — Arkansas Online, 23 Oct. 2026 Part of the confusion lies with the fact that the midterm elections could change the makeup of Congress, which could lead to new policies or pauses. — Anil Oza, STAT, 23 Oct. 2026 The idea became a contemporary streetscape built around encounters, pauses and departures. — Footwear News, 22 Oct. 2026 Gai said internal discussions regarding the future of the hydration breaks are underway, before adding that the inclination inside FIFA is to make the pauses available on a match-by-match basis. — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 22 Oct. 2026 The rapper blazed through an eight-song set in 18 minutes, taking only brief pauses to shout out her backing musicians and, at one point, remark on the lack of Maryland crab cakes in her rider. — Walden Green, Pitchfork, 19 Oct. 2026 Nicole Durkin pauses while talking about her son Michael, 16, at her home in Valparaiso, Indiana, Wednesday, October 14, 2026. — Amy Lavalley, Chicago Tribune, 17 Oct. 2026 Advertisement Tell your doctor about the pauses, gasping, and any daytime sleepiness. — Angela Haupt, Time, 16 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pauses
  1. hesitates
  2. lulls
  3. breaths
  4. interruptions
  5. breaks
Verb
  • Deanna hesitates, still wounded by the estrangement, but opens the house again.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Much of the film plays out in close-up as Alex watches, plays, thinks, hesitates.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of hesitates
Noun
  • There are no lulls in the storytelling and all the actors are wonderful and hungry and bring the heat.
    — Ronda Racha Penrice, HollywoodReporter, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Dull spells and lulls will crop up, building like waves, peaking, crashing, then dissipating.
    — Carlos Valladares, ARTnews.com, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of lulls
Noun
  • About 30 seconds after the injection began, Reaves took several big breaths and then stopped moving.
    — Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Same lethal drug, different outcomes After the pentobarbital was administered Wednesday night, Howard took a couple of breaths and gasped, the AP reported, before making snoring sounds that grew quiet within 30 seconds.
    — Karina Tsui, CNN Money, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of breaths
Noun
  • Unknown senders can move into a separate folder, reducing interruptions.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 21 Oct. 2026
  • The results are based on an ideal scenario in which all patients stayed on treatment without interruptions.
    — Annika Kim Constantino, CNBC, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of interruptions
Noun
  • The Dodgers in 2024 and 2025 had plenty of breaks, as did the Rangers in 2023 and Astros in 2022.
    — Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 27 Oct. 2026
  • For people taking long trips in a car or plane, it is recommended to take frequent movement breaks, stay hydrated and even use compression socks.
    — Ali Ataya, The Conversation, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of breaks

Browse Nearby Words

paused
pauses
pausing
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Pauses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pauses. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of shindig

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All