Synonyms of pauses

pauses 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of pause

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

• hesitates
• breaks
• interrupts
• stops
• finishes
• catches one's breath
• holds one's horses
• ceases
• ends
• terminates
• breaks in
• lapses
• discontinues
• lays off
• quits
• knocks off
• lets up

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• continues
• persists
• advances
• progresses
• extends
• stretches
• prolongs

pauses

2 of 2

noun

plural of pause

as in lulls

a momentary halt in an activity

there was a brief pause for applause in her speech

Synonyms & Similar Words

• lulls
• breaths
• interruptions
• breaks
• recesses
• intervals
• rests
• breathers
• intermissions
• interludes
• respites
• stoppages
• gaps
• suspensions
• lapses
• hitches
• time-outs
• cessations
• hiatuses
• downtimes
• endings
• interims
• discontinuances
• terminations
• discontinuities
• expirations
• moratoriums
• abeyances
• surceases

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• progresses
• continuations
• progressions
• extensions
• prolongations
• endurances
• persistences

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of pauses

Verb

An employee pauses an invoice because something looks unusual. — Doug Shannon, Forbes.com, 6 Oct. 2026

Some of these changes are noticeable without any special technology, says Ibañez, including slower speech, longer pauses, a flatter emotional tone, trouble finding the right word, or vaguer, less specific language. — Tom Gavin, EverydayHealth.com, 1 Oct. 2026

Loud persistent snoring, sudden gasping or choking for air, waking with a dry mouth and breathing pauses a partner usually notices first. — Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 23 Sep. 2026

Clutching an aerial hoop on a Johannesburg circus stage, a young performer pauses for a split second before launching into the air and gliding, drawing cheers from the crowd below. — ABC News, 18 Sep. 2026

One press on the stem plays/pauses media or answers/mutes a call. — Eric Zeman, PC Magazine, 17 Sep. 2026

The conversation pauses every few moments to let a J, M, or Z train lumber loudly past us, but also because Green is someone who chooses her words with great care. — Simon Vozick-Levinson, Rolling Stone, 10 Sep. 2026

Both major candidates in the governor’s race embracing pauses on new data center developments is a likely reflection of Michigan voters' views on the facilities. — Clara Hendrickson, Freep.com, 10 Sep. 2026

The film pauses, and Keenan McCardell uses a green laser pointer to circle a New Orleans Saints defender on the projector in front of him. — Alec Lewis, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026

Noun

Everyone stress-tests the checkout, then quietly buries returns, cancellations and subscription pauses. — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 2 Oct. 2026

But the situation is simply too perilous to entertain any more pauses. — Dmytro Kuleba, Foreign Affairs, 30 Sep. 2026

The most successful of these pauses come from listening to the audience and working with them. — Lucy Feldman, Time, 30 Sep. 2026

Try the cheap partner-side fixes first, match the mid-tier device to the type of snoring and escalate to a doctor the moment breathing pauses enter the picture. — Lauren Schuster, Charlotte Observer, 24 Sep. 2026

These short and intentional pauses from your tasks have been clinically proven to offer your weary brain a boost. — Cheryl Fenton, Flow Space, 23 Sep. 2026

Lynne Goldberg, meditation teacher and co-founder of the Breethe meditation app, told Real Simple that these pauses do the heavy lifting. — Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 22 Sep. 2026

Some deepfakes still have telltale flaws such as unnatural facial movements, lip-sync glitches, robotic speech or awkward pauses — but the technology is rapidly improving, a spokesperson for the organization said. — Emily Elconin For Cnn, CNN Money, 15 Sep. 2026

If pauses were put in place, wouldn’t that cost your business quite a lot of money, and Anthropic’s business quite a lot of money, ahead of these critical moments in public-market debuts? — Fortune Editors, Fortune, 15 Sep. 2026