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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in lulls
a momentary halt in an activity there was a brief pause for applause in her speech
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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
Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 22 Apr. 2026 Martin Picard Partway through a technical explanation of his work, Picard pauses and briefly looks away. —Jasna Hodžić, Big Think, 22 Apr. 2026 But now Hunt stops reading from his phone and pauses to collect his words. —Dave Hyde, Sun Sentinel, 20 Apr. 2026 Trust short pauses to reveal what truly deserves your attention next. —Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 17 Apr. 2026 After April, the Galaxy will be faced with a five-game May before the league pauses for the FIFA World Cup. —Damian Calhoun, Daily News, 17 Apr. 2026 The reader who pauses for breath, after this recitation of horrors, is soon rewarded by being plunged into a yet more catastrophic mire. —Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026 One option is Currently Not Collectible (CNC) status, an IRS designation that temporarily pauses collections activities on your account. —Rebecca Safier, USA Today, 3 Apr. 2026 The woman pauses, runs her tongue over her teeth. —Danielle Parker, CBS News, 2 Apr. 2026
Jocelyn Gecker, Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2026 Business major Andrea Lui found the chatbot’s voice to be surprisingly human, but the conversation felt choppy with odd pauses. —Jocelyn Gecker, Fortune, 23 Apr. 2026 Women also have more hypopneas (shallow breaths with less oxygen flow), whereas men tend toward apneas (complete pauses in breathing). —Katie Camero, SELF, 16 Apr. 2026 According to the Cleveland Clinic, premature babies can experience these pauses along with a slow heart rate or low blood oxygen levels. —Kayla Grant, PEOPLE, 16 Apr. 2026 Last year, the agency issued more than 500 payment pauses, which is a 240% increase over 2024, according to agency data. —Caroline Cummings, CBS News, 13 Apr. 2026 Drummers’ timekeeping is fluid; even at its most rocksteady, it’s enlivened by tiny, imperceptible pauses and hiccups. —Philip Sherburne, Pitchfork, 13 Apr. 2026 The dueling claims highlight the deep mistrust between the two sides and underscore the difficulty of enforcing even temporary pauses in fighting. —Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 12 Apr. 2026 Currently, the city is in Stage 3, which means pauses on many outdoor water uses. —ABC News, 12 Apr. 2026
Verb
The ruling, which pauses enforcement of the measure while an appeal proceeds in court, marks the second blow to California’s efforts to force federal agents to identify themselves. —Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 22 Apr. 2026 Martin Picard Partway through a technical explanation of his work, Picard pauses and briefly looks away. —Jasna Hodžić, Big Think, 22 Apr. 2026 But now Hunt stops reading from his phone and pauses to collect his words. —Dave Hyde, Sun Sentinel, 20 Apr. 2026 Trust short pauses to reveal what truly deserves your attention next. —Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 17 Apr. 2026 After April, the Galaxy will be faced with a five-game May before the league pauses for the FIFA World Cup. —Damian Calhoun, Daily News, 17 Apr. 2026 The reader who pauses for breath, after this recitation of horrors, is soon rewarded by being plunged into a yet more catastrophic mire. —Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026 One option is Currently Not Collectible (CNC) status, an IRS designation that temporarily pauses collections activities on your account. —Rebecca Safier, USA Today, 3 Apr. 2026 The woman pauses, runs her tongue over her teeth. —Danielle Parker, CBS News, 2 Apr. 2026
Noun
Business major Andrea Lui found the chatbot’s voice to be surprisingly human, but the conversation felt choppy with odd pauses. —Jocelyn Gecker, Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2026 Business major Andrea Lui found the chatbot’s voice to be surprisingly human, but the conversation felt choppy with odd pauses. —Jocelyn Gecker, Fortune, 23 Apr. 2026 Women also have more hypopneas (shallow breaths with less oxygen flow), whereas men tend toward apneas (complete pauses in breathing). —Katie Camero, SELF, 16 Apr. 2026 According to the Cleveland Clinic, premature babies can experience these pauses along with a slow heart rate or low blood oxygen levels. —Kayla Grant, PEOPLE, 16 Apr. 2026 Last year, the agency issued more than 500 payment pauses, which is a 240% increase over 2024, according to agency data. —Caroline Cummings, CBS News, 13 Apr. 2026 Drummers’ timekeeping is fluid; even at its most rocksteady, it’s enlivened by tiny, imperceptible pauses and hiccups. —Philip Sherburne, Pitchfork, 13 Apr. 2026 The dueling claims highlight the deep mistrust between the two sides and underscore the difficulty of enforcing even temporary pauses in fighting. —Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 12 Apr. 2026 Currently, the city is in Stage 3, which means pauses on many outdoor water uses. —ABC News, 12 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pauses
Verb
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If a gatekeeper hesitates, breathe and restate your win.— Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 10 Apr. 2026
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In the finale, Nicky hesitates at the altar, leading Rachel to question their relationship.— Hanna Wickes, Sacbee.com, 3 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Not all parts of the country seem to have the same pattern, although the data points to school breaks as relative lulls.— Meg Wingerter, Denver Post, 18 Apr. 2026
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The Horned Frogs will have to figure out how to avoid the offensive lulls that have plagued them over the last month, including in the last two rounds of the Big 12 tournament.— Sabreena Merchant, New York Times, 29 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Cherrish Martinez saw her 32-year-old boyfriend take his last breaths just outside their backyard door in Commerce City.— Gabriela Vidal, CBS News, 24 Apr. 2026
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Its menthol resin scents the forest, encouraging deep breaths in time with the Atlantic surf on Itapororoca beach, forever within earshot.— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Employees restock more frequently and experience fewer interruptions from weekend shoppers, resulting in shelves that tend to stay better organized and fuller.— Elizabeth Fogarty, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 Apr. 2026
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These interruptions feel familiar, making the eventual release believable.— Jason Phillips, USA Today, 27 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Without any workplace oversight, the baristas did the obvious, padding their breaks by ten, fifteen, twenty minutes.— Saïd Sayrafiezadeh, New Yorker, 26 Apr. 2026
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The breaks kept coming for Orlando.— Chris Hays, The Orlando Sentinel, 26 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pauses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.grautoblog.com/thesaurus/pauses. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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