# pause

Pronunciation: say "PAWZ" US /pɔz/, UK /pɔːz/

## Noun

1. A temporary stop or rest; a brief interruption or suspension of an action.
   - Simple: A short stop or rest before something starts again.
   - _An awkward pause followed his announcement._
   - _The talks resumed after a brief pause for lunch._
6. A short period spent relaxing or doing something else; a break from one's main activity.
   - Simple: A short break when you relax or do something different.
   - _She scheduled a midday pause to stretch and step away from her screen._
   - _The team's afternoon pause for coffee turned into a brainstorming session._
8. Hesitation or doubt; a state of uncertainty that makes someone hold back.
   - Simple: A feeling of doubt that makes you stop and think.
   - _The contract's vague wording gave the lawyers pause._
   - _She accepted the offer without a moment's pause._
9. Alternative letter-case form of Pause.
   - Simple: Lowercase form of Pause, the button that stops and restarts a video or song.
   - _He tapped pause on the remote before answering the phone._
   - _The video kept playing because pause on the old controller sticks._
10. A written mark showing where and how the voice should stop or rest in reading; a punctuation mark.
   - Simple: A mark in writing, like a comma or period, that shows where to stop when reading.
   - _The proofreader inserted a pause where the long clause needed a breath._
   - _Older grammar books ranked the pauses from the comma up to the period._
11. A break in written text, such as a paragraph division.
   - Simple: A break in a piece of writing, like the space where a new paragraph starts.
   - _The author put a pause between the two scenes so readers could absorb the shock._
   - _Each pause in the chapter marks a jump forward in time._
12. A sign in music indicating that a note or rest is to be continued or held.
   - Simple: A mark in music that tells you to hold a note or a rest longer.
   - _The choir held the final chord at the pause until the conductor's hands dropped._
   - _A pause over the last rest lets the silence linger._

## Verb

2. To take a brief rest or break, especially after a period of effort.
   - Simple: To stop and rest for a short time after working or moving.
   - _Runners often pause at the halfway mark to drink water._
   - _The hikers paused beside the stream before tackling the final climb._
3. To stop an activity or process for a while.
   - Simple: To stop an activity for a short time.
   - _The company paused production while engineers inspected the equipment._
   - _Regulators can pause a trial if safety concerns arise._
4. To temporarily halt the playback of a recording, video, or game so that it can be resumed from the same point.
   - Simple: To stop a video, song, or game for a moment so you can start it again from the same place.
   - _He paused the podcast halfway through the interview._
   - _Viewers can pause live television and pick it up minutes later._
5. To interrupt an activity briefly and wait before going on.
   - Simple: To stop what you are doing and wait for a moment.
   - _She paused mid-sentence when the lights flickered._
   - _Tour guides pause at each landmark so the group can catch up._
7. To hesitate or hold back before acting or speaking.
   - Simple: To wait a moment because you are not sure what to do.
   - _Investors paused before committing to the unproven startup._
   - _Even seasoned climbers pause at the sight of that overhang._

## Interjection

13. Used immediately after a statement to signal that no sexual innuendo or homosexual meaning was intended, especially when the words could reasonably be heard that way. *(slang)*
   - Simple: Said quickly after something you say to show you did not mean it in a sexual way.
   - _"I spent all weekend at his house, pause," he said before anyone could comment._
   - _"Honestly, I'd do anything for that man. Pause."_

## Verb

14. To consider or reflect; to weigh a matter in the mind. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To stop and think carefully about something before deciding.

## Origin

This word came through Middle French pause from Latin pausa, which in turn came from Ancient Greek paûsis, from the verb paúō ("stop"), of uncertain origin.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/pause (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).