pauses

7 definitions • 12 examples

a short period in which something such as a sound or an activity is stopped before starting again:

There will be a brief pause in the proceedings while the piano is moved into place.

After a long, awkward pause, someone finally asked a question.

She spoke for three quarters of an hour without so much as a pause.

There followed a pregnant (= filled with meaning) pause in which neither of them knew what to say.

a button or control that allows you to stop a recording for a short time:

I pressed pause/the pause button so I could go and make a cup of tea.

a period of silence between musical notes, or a symbol that represents this

a symbol in music meaning that a note or rest should be held for longer than normal

to stop doing something for a short time, or to make something stop for a short time:

He paused and thought for a moment.

She paused to catch her breath, and then kept on jogging.

A judge has paused the litigation to give both sides a chance to settle their differences.

to make a recording stop for a short time by pressing a button or control:

Can you pause the movie there, please?

It is now possible to pause and rewind live television.

She paused at key moments in the scene.

a moment in which something, such as a sound or an activity, stops before starting again:

There was a long pause during which we all wondered what he would say next.