English Explanatory Dictionary

pause

English dictionary entry

Meanings

verb
  1. To take a temporary rest, take a break for a short period after an effort.
  2. To stop (an activity) for a while.
  3. To interrupt an activity and wait.
  4. To hesitate; to hold back; to delay.
  5. To halt the play or playback of, temporarily, so that it can be resumed from the same point.
  6. To consider; to reflect.
noun
  1. A temporary stop or rest; an intermission of action; interruption; suspension; cessation.
  2. A short time for relaxing and doing something else.
  3. Hesitation; suspense; doubt.
  4. In writing and printing, a mark indicating the place and nature of an arrest of voice in reading; a punctuation mark.
  5. A break or paragraph in writing.
  6. A sign indicating continuance of a note or rest.
  7. Alternative letter-case form of Pause (“a button that pauses or resumes something”).
intj
  1. Used immediately after a statement to indicate that there was no innuendo or homosexual meaning intended, especially when such a meaning is a reasonable interpretation.
noun
  1. A button whose functions are pausing and resuming something, such as a DVD player, a video game or a computer.

Pronunciation

pôz /pɔːz/ /pɔz/ päz /pɑz/ en-us-pause.ogg LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-pause.wav

Word forms

pause pauses pausing paused

Etymology

From Middle French pause, from Latin pausa, from Ancient Greek παῦσις (paûsis), from Ancient Greek παύω (paúō, “stop”), of uncertain origin. Doublet of pausa.

Synonyms

break breather cessation demurral gap caesura hiatus halt halting interregnum interruption lapse moratorium pause recess respite resting stoppage stopping suspension holiday annual leave day off getaway leave leave of absence time away time off vac vacation vaca vacay vacillation wavering no homo

Antonyms

finish

Related words

delay desist

Derived words

nonpausing pausable pausingly prepause unpause aeropause autopause coffee pause Engels' pause filled pause Gigapause give pause hit pause hit the pause button homopause interpause intrapause ionopause Macready pause micropause millennial pause nonpause normal pause Omegapause pause ad pause buffer pause buffering pauseful pauseless pregnant pause press pause somatopause spoken pause
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