pause

(pôz)

1. To cease or suspend an action temporarily.
2. To linger; tarry: paused for a while under the huge oak tree.
3. To hesitate: He paused before replying.

1. A temporary cessation.
2. A delay or suspended reaction, as from uncertainty; a hesitation: After a pause the audience broke into cheers.
3. A break, stop, or rest, often for a calculated purpose or effect: After a dramatic pause, the lawyer finished her summation.
4. a. Music A sign indicating that a note or rest is to be held.
   b. A break or rest in a line of poetry; a caesura.
5. Reason for hesitation: The immensity of the task gives one pause.