pause

See also: Pause, pausé, and -pause

English

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• (UK) enPR: pôz, IPA^(key): /pɔːz/
• (US) enPR: pôz, IPA^(key): /pɔz/
• (cot–caught merger) enPR: päz, IPA^(key): /pɑz/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔːz
• Homophones: paws; pores, pours (non-rhotic)

Verb

pause (third-person singular simple present pauses, present participle pausing, simple past and past participle paused)

1. (intransitive) To take a temporary rest, take a break for a short period after an effort.
2. (intransitive) To interrupt an activity and wait.

   When telling the scary story, he paused for effect.

   • c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene ii]:

     Tarry, pause a day or two.

   • 1667, John Milton, “Book IX”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:

     pausing a while thus to herself she mused

   • 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 15, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC:

     She paused and took a defiant breath. ‘If you don't believe me, I can't help it. But I'm not a liar.’ ¶ ‘No,’ said Luke, grinning at her. ‘You're not dull enough! […] What about the kid's clothes? I don't suppose they were anything to write home about, but didn't you keep anything? A bootee or a bit of embroidery or anything at all?’

   • 2020 April 8, “Network News: COVID-19: Questions and Answers”, in Rail, page 11:

     Will this affect HS2 and other major projects?
     [...] Work at the majority of sites has paused, although some staff may be present to ensure the safety and security of these sites and to make safety assessments. [...]

3. (intransitive) To hesitate; to hold back; to delay.
   • c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene i]:

     Why doth the Jew pause? Take thy forfeiture.

4. (transitive) To halt the play or playback of, temporarily, so that it can be resumed from the same point.

   to pause a song, a video, or a computer game

5. (intransitive, obsolete) To consider; to reflect.
   • c. 1595–1596 (date written), William Shakespeare, “A Midsommer Nights Dreame”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene i]:

     Take time to pause.

Translations

to take a temporary rest or break

• Bulgarian: пра́вя пауза impf (právja pauza)
• Esperanto: paŭzi
• Finnish: pitää tauko, huilata (fi) (colloquial)
• Gothic: 𐍈𐌴𐌹𐌻𐌰𐌽 (ƕeilan)
• Hindi: रुकना (hi) (ruknā), ठहरना (hi) (ṭhaharnā)
• Hungarian: megpihen (hu)
• Indonesian: beristirahat (id)
• Maori: okioki, whakamatua
• Russian: де́лать переры́в impf (délatʹ pererýv), сде́лать переры́в pf (sdélatʹ pererýv) (to take a break)
• Spanish: ^{(please verify)} receso (es), ^{(please verify)} descanso (es)
• Swedish: vila (sv)
• Turkish: mola vermek (tr)

to interrupt something

• Arabic: تَوَقَّفَ (tawaqqafa)
• Armenian: please add this translation if you can
• Bulgarian: спи́рам (bg) impf (spíram), спра pf (spra), прекъ́свам (bg) impf (prekǎ́svam), прекъ́сна (bg) pf (prekǎ́sna)
• Catalan: pausar (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 停頓 / 停顿 (zh) (tíngdùn), 暫停 / 暂停 (zh) (zàntíng)

• Cornish: hedhi
• Dutch: pauzeren (nl)
• Esperanto: paŭzi
• Finnish: pysähtyä (fi), tauota (fi), tauottaa, pitää tauko
• French: faire une pause, pauser (fr)
• Georgian: please add this translation if you can
• German: pausieren (de), innehalten (de)
• Hindi: रोकना (hi) (roknā), ठहराना (hi) (ṭhahrānā), अटकाना (hi) (aṭkānā)
• Hungarian: megáll (hu) (egy kicsit (hu)), szünetet tart (hu), (for effect) hatásszünetet tart
• Ido: pauzar (io)
• Italian: mettere in pausa
• Japanese: 中断する (ja) (ちゅうだんする, chūdan suru), 途切れる (ja) (とぎれる, togireru)
• Khmer: បង្អង់ (km) (bɑngʼɑng)
• Latvian: pārtraukt
• Lithuanian: pertraukti
• Maori: okioki
• Mongolian: please add this translation if you can
• Polish: pauzować, przerywać (pl)
• Portuguese: pausar
• Russian: де́лать па́узу impf (délatʹ páuzu), сде́лать па́узу pf (sdélatʹ páuzu)
• Spanish: pausar (es), interrumpir (es), suspender (es), parar (es)
• Swedish: pausa (sv)
• Thai: please add this translation if you can
• Turkish: durmak (tr)
• Vietnamese: please add this translation if you can

to halt playback temporarily

• Danish: pause (da)
• Esperanto: paŭzigi
• Finnish: laittaa tauolle, pistää tauolle, keskeyttää (fi)
• German: pausieren (de)
• Hindi: रोकना (hi) (roknā)
• Hungarian: megállít (hu) (egy kicsit (hu)), szüneteltet (hu)
• Indonesian: jeda (id)
• Swedish: pausa (sv)
• Turkish: durdurmak (tr)

Noun

pause (plural pauses)

1. A temporary stop or rest; an intermission of action; interruption; suspension; cessation.

   Synonyms: hiatus, moratorium, recess; see also Thesaurus:pause

   • 1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter XLV, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC, page 374:

     If the afternoon was fine they strolled together in the park, very slowly, and with pauses to draw breath wherever the ground sloped upward. The slightest effort made the patient cough.

2. A short time for relaxing and doing something else.

   Synonyms: break, holiday, recess; see also Thesaurus:vacation

3. Hesitation; suspense; doubt.

   Synonyms: vacillation, wavering

   • c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, The Tragicall Historie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke: […] (Second Quarto), London: […] I[ames] R[oberts] for N[icholas] L[ing] […], published 1604, →OCLC, [Act III, scene iii]:

     And like a man to double buſsines bound, / I ſtand in pauſe where I ſhall firſt beginne, [...]

4. In writing and printing, a mark indicating the place and nature of an arrest of voice in reading; a punctuation mark.

   Teach the pupil to mind the pauses.

5. A break or paragraph in writing.
   • a. 1705 (date written), [John Locke], “[An Essay for the Understanding of St. Paul’s Epistles, […]]”, in A Paraphrase and Notes on the Epistles of St. Paul […], London: […] J[ohn] H[umphreys] for Awnsham and John Churchill, […], published 1707, →OCLC, page xxiii:

     He [Paul] is full of the Matter he treats and writes with Warmth, which uſually neglects Method, and thoſe Partitions and Pauſes which Men educated in the Schools of Rhetoricians uſually obſerve.

6. (music) A sign indicating continuance of a note or rest.
7. Alternative spelling of Pause (“a button that pauses or resumes something”)
8. (as direct object) take pause: hesitate; give pause: cause to hesitate

Synonyms

• caesura

 

Derived terms

• coffee pause
• filled pause
• give pause
• hit pause
• Macready pause
• millennial pause
• normal pause
• pregnant pause
• press pause
• spoken pause

 

Translations

temporary stop or rest

• Arabic: تَوَقُّف m (tawaqquf), وَقْف m (waqf)
• Armenian: դադար (hy) (dadar)
• Belarusian: па́ўза f (páŭza), перапы́нак m (pjerapýnak), прэ́рва f (prérva)
• Bulgarian: па́уза (bg) f (páuza), междуча́сие (bg) n (meždučásie)
• Catalan: pausa (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 停頓 / 停顿 (zh) (tíngdùn), 暫停 / 暂停 (zh) (zàntíng)

• Czech: přestávka (cs) f, pauza (cs) f
• Danish: pause (da) c
• Dutch: pauze (nl) c
• Esperanto: paŭzo
• Estonian: paus
• Finnish: pysähdys (fi), tauko (fi), keskeytys (fi), väliaika (fi), lepoaika, katko (fi)
• French: pause (fr) f
• Georgian: შესვენება (šesveneba), პაუზა (ṗauza)
• German: Pause (de) f
• Greek: παύση (el) f (páfsi)

  Ancient: παῦσις f (paûsis)

• Hebrew: אתנח (etnah)
• Hungarian: szünet (hu)
• Ido: pauzo (io)
• Ingrian: piätös
• Italian: pausa (it) f
• Japanese: 休止 (ja) (きゅうし, kyūshi), 中断 (ja) (ちゅうだん, chūdan), 休憩 (ja) (きゅうけい, kyūkei)
• Korean: 멈춤 (meomchum), 휴지(休止) (ko) (hyuji), 휴게(休憩) (ko) (hyuge)
• Latin: pausa f
• Latvian: pārtraukums m
• Lithuanian: pauzė f
• Macedonian: пауза f (pauza)
• Malay: jeda (ms)
• Maori: whakamatuatanga, okiokinga
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: pause (no) f

• Polish: pauza (pl) f, przerwa (pl) f
• Portuguese: pausa (pt) f
• Romanian: pauză (ro) f
• Russian: па́уза (ru) f (páuza), остано́вка (ru) f (ostanóvka), переды́шка (ru) f (peredýška) (respite), переры́в (ru) m (pererýv) (break, intermission)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: ста̑нка f, о̀дмор m, па̀уза f

  Roman: stȃnka (sh) f, òdmor (sh) m, pàuza (sh) f

• Slovak: prestávka f, pauza f
• Slovene: pavza f, odmor m
• Spanish: pausa (es) f
• Swedish: paus (sv) c, vila (sv) c
• Tocharian B: mauki
• Turkish: mola (tr), teneffüs (tr), paydos (tr)
• Ukrainian: па́уза f (páuza), па́вза (uk) f (pávza), пере́рва f (perérva)
• Welsh: saib m

Interjection

pause

1. (slang, sometimes offensive) Used immediately after a statement to indicate that there was no innuendo or homosexual meaning intended, especially when such a meaning is a reasonable interpretation.

   Synonym: no homo

Danish

Etymology

From Latin pausa, from Ancient Greek παύω (paúō, “stop”).

Noun

pause c (singular definite pausen, plural indefinite pauser)

1. pause

Declension

Declension of pause

common gender	Singular		Plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	pause	pausen	pauser	pauserne
genitive	pauses	pausens	pausers	pausernes

Derived terms

• pausere

Further reading

• “pause” in Den Danske Ordbog
• “pause” in Ordbog over det danske Sprog

Estonian

Noun

pause

1. partitive plural of paus

   Synonym: pausisid

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin pausa.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /poz/

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

pause f (plural pauses)

1. pause, break

   Je prends quelques minutes de pause.

   I'm taking a break for a few minutes.

2. (music) rest

Derived terms

• pause pipi
• pause thé

Further reading

• “pause”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Italian

Noun

pause f

1. plural of pausa

Middle French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin pausa.

Noun

pause f (plural pauses)

1. pause (brief cessation)

Descendants

• → English: pause
• French: pause

References

• Etymology and history of “pause”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Latin pausa, from Ancient Greek παύω (paúō, “stop”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pæʉsə/, [pʰæʉ̯sə], [pʰœʉ̯sə]
• Rhymes: -æʉsə

Noun

pause m (definite singular pausen, indefinite plural pauser, definite plural pausene)

1. a pause, a break (short time for relaxing)

Derived terms

• hvilepause
• kaffepause
• lunsjpause

References

• “pause” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Latin pausa, from Ancient Greek παύω (paúō, “stop”).

Noun

pause m (definite singular pausen, indefinite plural pausar, definite plural pausane)

1. a pause or break (short time for relaxing)

Derived terms

• lunsjpause

References

• “pause” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Portuguese

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈpaw.zi/ [ˈpaʊ̯.zi]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈpaw.zi/ [ˈpaʊ̯.zi]
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈpaw.ze/ [ˈpaʊ̯.ze]

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈpaw.zɨ/

• Rhymes: (Brazil) -awzi, (Portugal) -awzɨ
• Hyphenation: pau‧se

Etymology 1

Borrowed from English pause

Noun

pause m (plural pauses)

1. (chiefly video games) pause

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

pause

1. inflection of pausar:
   1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
   2. third-person singular imperative

Spanish

Verb

pause

1. inflection of pausar:
   1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
   2. third-person singular imperative