Library / English Dictionary

PAUSE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Temporary inactivity

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("pause" is a kind of...):

inactivity (being inactive; being less active)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "pause"):

break; recess; respite; time out (a pause from doing something (as work))

falter; faltering; hesitation; waver (the act of pausing uncertainly)

intermission (the act of suspending activity temporarily)

freeze; halt (an interruption or temporary suspension of progress or movement)

Derivation:

pause (cease an action temporarily)

pause (interrupt temporarily an activity before continuing)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A time interval during which there is a temporary cessation of something

Synonyms:

break; intermission; interruption; pause; suspension

Classified under:

Nouns denoting time and temporal relations

Hypernyms ("pause" is a kind of...):

interval; time interval (a definite length of time marked off by two instants)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "pause"):

letup; lull (a pause during which things are calm or activities are diminished)

time-out (a brief suspension of play)

relief; respite; rest; rest period (a pause for relaxation)

halftime (an intermission between the first and second half of a game)

delay; hold; postponement; time lag; wait (time during which some action is awaited)

dead air (an inadvertent interruption in a broadcast during which there is no sound)

caesura (a pause or interruption (as in a conversation))

blackout (a suspension of radio or tv broadcasting)

lapse (a break or intermission in the occurrence of something)

Derivation:

pause (cease an action temporarily)

pause (interrupt temporarily an activity before continuing)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Cease an action temporarily

Example:

let's break for lunch

Synonyms:

break; intermit; pause

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Hypernyms (to "pause" is one way to...):

break up; cut off; disrupt; interrupt (make a break in)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "pause"):

breathe; catch one's breath; rest; take a breather (take a short break from one's activities in order to relax)

take five (take a break for five minutes)

take ten (take a ten minute break)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s

Derivation:

pause (temporary inactivity)

pause (a time interval during which there is a temporary cessation of something)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Interrupt temporarily an activity before continuing

Example:

The speaker paused

Synonyms:

hesitate; pause

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

Hypernyms (to "pause" is one way to...):

delay (act later than planned, scheduled, or required)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "pause"):

hem and haw (utter 'hems' and 'haws'; indicated hesitation)

scruple (hesitate on moral grounds)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s whether INFINITIVE

Sentence example:

They pause a long time

Derivation:

pause (temporary inactivity)

pause (a time interval during which there is a temporary cessation of something)

Credits

 Context examples: 

And such being the case, continued Mrs Smith, after a short pause, I hope you believe that I do know how to value your kindness in coming to me this morning.

(Persuasion, by Jane Austen)

"Do you like your school?" asked the boy, changing the subject, after a little pause, during which he stared at the fire and Jo looked about her, well pleased.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

I am content if I am like the rest, so that no man stops if he see me, or pause in his speaking if he hear my words, 'Ha, ha! a stranger!'

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

"Why, it would be rank ridiculousness for me to take that dog along," he broke out after another pause.

(White Fang, by Jack London)

He was not crying when he made the pauses I shall express by lines.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

I have made a most wretched discovery, said he, after a short pause.

(Emma, by Jane Austen)

After pausing on this point a considerable while, she once more continued to read.

(Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen)

But the agony of my wound overcame me; my pulses paused, and I fainted.

(Frankenstein, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley)

“And,” he added, after a long pause, “how do, Mr. Silver? Pretty well, I thank ye, says you.”

(Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson)

A short pause of mutual thoughtfulness succeeded.

(Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen)