pause

B1 Topic:Music Theory

US /pɔz/ UK /pɔːz/ See IPA manual

Freq #7597

Meanings

1

noun
A short stop in activity or speech before continuing.

There was a long pause before she answered the question.
2

verb
To stop doing something for a short time before continuing.

He paused for a moment to catch his breath.
3

verb
To temporarily stop a song, video, or game so it can be continued later.

She paused the film to answer the phone.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a short stop in activity or... break

2 verb · to stop doing something for... hesitate break

More breather caesura cessation demurral gap halt halting hiatus interregnum interruption lapse

Opposites

finish

Word family

Forms pausedpausespausing

Derived forms aeropauseautopausegigapausehomopauseinterpauseintrapauseionopausemicropausenonpausenonpausingomegapausepausable

Related forms delay desist

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

dramatic pause
a deliberate silence used to create tension or emphasize what follows

Adjective + noun

Simplified etymology

Pause entered English in the late Middle English period through French pause from Latin pausa, “rest” or “cessation.” Pose and repose share the same root.

Etymology

From Middle French pause, from Latin pausa, from Ancient Greek παῦσις (paûsis), from Ancient Greek παύω (paúō, “stop”), of uncertain origin. Doublet of pausa.

pause Middle French pausa Latin παῦσις Ancient Greek παύω Ancient Greek

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Music Theory Actions & Processes

External links

# pause

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B1
**Part of speech:** noun, verb
**IPA (US):** /pɔz/
**IPA (UK):** /pɔːz/
**Frequency rank:** 7597

## Meanings
1. A short stop in activity or speech before continuing.
2. To stop doing something for a short time before continuing.
3. To temporarily stop a song, video, or game so it can be continued later.

## Examples
- There was a long pause before she answered the question.
- He paused for a moment to catch his breath.
- She paused the film to answer the phone.

## Synonyms
- break
- breather
- caesura
- cessation
- demurral
- gap
- halt
- halting
- hiatus
- interregnum
- interruption
- lapse

## Antonyms
- finish

## Derived Forms
- aeropause
- autopause
- gigapause
- homopause
- interpause
- intrapause
- ionopause
- micropause
- nonpause
- nonpausing
- omegapause
- pausable

## Related Forms
- delay
- desist

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: pause
- Root: pausa
- Root: παῦσις
- Root: παύω

## Etymology
From Middle French pause, from Latin pausa, from Ancient Greek παῦσις (paûsis), from Ancient Greek παύω (paúō, “stop”), of uncertain origin. Doublet of pausa.

## AI Etymology
Pause comes from Middle French pause, from Latin pausa, from Ancient Greek παῦσις (paûsis), from Ancient Greek παύω (paúō, “stop”), of uncertain origin. Doublet of pausa. Modern senses include a short stop in activity or speech before continuing and to stop doing something for a short time before continuing. The wider word family includes derivatives such as aeropause, autopause, gigapause, homopause, interpause, and intrapause and related forms such as delay and desist.

## Topics
- Music Theory
- Actions & Processes

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