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Webster's Dictionary (1865)

2 entries under this word

Pause

Pause, n.

noun

(pawz), n. [Fr. pause, Pr., Sp., & Pg. pausa, It. pausa, posa, Lat. pausa, Gr. παῦσις, from παύειν, to make to cease; Ger. & Dan. pause, Sw. paus, D. poos.]

  1. A temporary stop or rest; an intermission of action, of speaking, singing, playing, or the like; cessation; stop.
  2. Cessation proceeding from doubt; suspense; hesitation.

I stand in pause where I shall first begin. Shak.

  1. A temporary cessation or brief suspension of the voice in reading or speaking.
  2. A break or paragraph in writing. Locke.
  3. A mark of cessation or intermission of the voice; a point.
  4. (Mus.) A character, thus [☞], placed over a note or rest, to indicate that the tone or the silence is to be prolonged beyond the regular time;—called also hold.

Syn.—See CESSATION.

Pause, v. i.

verbintransitive

(pawz), v. i. [imp. & p. p. PAUSED; p. pr. & vb. n. PAUSING.] [Fr. pauser, Pr., Sp., & Pg. pausar, It. pausare, posare, Lat. pausare, from pausa. See supra.]

Sense 1. To make a short stop; to cease for a time; to intermit speaking or action; to forbear for a while; to stop; to wait.

Tarry, pause a day or two, Before you hazard. Shak.

Pausing a while, thus to herself she mused. Milton.

Sense 2. To be intermitted; as, the music pauses.

To pause upon, to deliberate concerning. Shak.

Synonyms—To intermit; stop; stay; wait; delay; tarry; hesitate; demur.