pause 
pause (pôz)
noun
- a short period of inaction; temporary stop, break, or rest, as in speaking or reading
- hesitation; interruption; delay pursuit without pause
- a stop or break in speaking or reading, which clarifies meaning
- any mark of punctuation indicating this
- Music
- the holding of a tone or rest beyond its written value, at the discretion of the performer
- a sign indicating this, written above the note or rest
- Prosody a rhythm break or caesura
Etymology: ME pawse < MFr pause < L pausa < Gr pausis, a stopping < pauein, to bring to an end < IE base *paus-, to let go > OPrus pausto, wild
intransitive verb paused, paus′·ing
- to make a pause; be temporarily inactive; stop; hesitate
- to dwell or linger: with on or upon
Etymology: Fr pauser < L pausare, to stop < the n.
give someone pause
to make someone hesitant or uncertain
pause
n.
A break
intermission, suspension, discontinuance, breathing space, breather*, hitch, hesitancy, interlude, hiatus, abeyance, interim, lapse, cessation, stopover, interval, rest period, gap, stoppage; see also recess 1.Antonyms
continuation*, prolongation, progression. Temporary inaction
lull, rest, stop, halt, truce, suspension of active hostilities, stay, respite, interregnum, standstill, stand, deadlock, stillness. Antonyms
persistence*, steadiness, ceaselessness.
give one pause
pause
v.
Object
- rewind: The 2.5 inch color display screens are increasingly touch-sensitive, giving you fingertip access to play, pause, rewind and fast forward controls.
- briefly: If you pause the mouse pointer briefly over any graphic image you will get a description box.
- moment: At the door I paused a moment, for I thought I heard him talking with some one.
- TV: In TV mode you can pause real-time TV should you need to answer the phone then return to your program without missing anything.
Adjective modifier
- momentary: Twinkling; the momentary pause is awkwardly shrugged off.
- awkward: There was an awkward pause, a dreary pause, a horrible pause.
- pregnant: With the crowd assembled, a pregnant pause awaited his answer.
- slight: Slight pause Kirsty: Then one day, we go into the supermarket.
- brief: Not wishing to see the pub sat empty; they took a brief pause from the ride.
- silent: After each contribution there will be a silent pause to assimilate what has been said and to perceive what rightly follows.
Modifies a noun
- button: Casal perched on a stool stops, starts, the song like you might push in the pause button on the CD player.
Infinitive complement
- admire: Wherever you decide to hang your Old Map people will always pause to admire its beauty.
- wipe: You want... you want ( splutter, pause to wipe foam from mouth )... you want an antidote.
- listen: With his head cocked to one side he silently paused to listen to the still moor air, nothing, probably an old pony.
Preposition: in
- bombing: We debated how to do it better; should there be a pause in the bombing to deliver food aid and so on.
Preposition: for
- breath: We need to change the pace, slow down, pause for breath.
- thought: I do hope they will pause for thought on the final chapter.
- moment: Head bowed, legs wide around the steel, she paused for a moment.
- while: Asked if he felt that was a risk, Coleman paused for a while before replying: " Not really.
- reflection: There are pauses for reflection and the 'O Lord Remember ' phrases plead quietly with God.
The buck doesn't even pause here. SeeTruman 869:45.
Now I'll have eine kleine pause.
It is not enough to be pause, to be hole to be void, to be silent to be semicolon, to be semicolony; 150
There was a pauseöjust long enough for an angel to pass, flying slowly.
When evening quickens in the street, comes a pause in the day's occupation that is known as the cocktail hour.
It is the same each time with progress. First they ignore you, then they say you are mad, then dangerous, then there's a pause, and then you can't find anyone who disagrees.
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