paused
paused — noun
1. a short period, usually lasting a few seconds or minutes, when an activity, conv
a short period, usually lasting a few seconds or minutes, when an activity, conversation, sound, or piece of music stops before starting up again
After a brief pause, Imani continued reading the story to the children.
collocation: brief pause
There was an awkward pause in the conversation when Lucía walked into the room.
pause in + [activity]
The band played for two hours with only one short pause between songs.
Takeshi took a pause from his work to stretch his legs and drink some water.
- break
more general; can be longer than a pause
- halt
more sudden and complete than a pause
- intermission
specifically a break in a performance or event
- continuation
the act of keeping an activity going without stopping
文法句型
a + pause
pause in [activity]
用法筆記
Often used with adjectives like 'brief', 'short', 'long', 'awkward', or 'dramatic' to describe the duration or feeling of the stop.
常見錯誤
2. a natural or deliberate stop inside a line of poetry, often marked by punctuatio
a natural or deliberate stop inside a line of poetry, often marked by punctuation or a change in rhythm
In haiku, a pause often falls after the first five syllables to separate the image.
pause after + [number] syllables
Hamza noticed a short pause in each line while reading the sonnet aloud.
The poet used a pause between the third and fourth lines to create tension.
In Shakespeare's sonnets, a strong pause at the end of a verse line is called an end-stop.
- caesura
the formal term in literary studies for a pause in a verse line
文法句型
pause in [verse/poem]
用法筆記
Distinguish from noun/1: this sense is specific to the structure of poetry and verse, not general activities. Also called 'caesura' in formal literary analysis.
3. a deliberate moment of silence during a formal speech or spoken presentation, us
a deliberate moment of silence during a formal speech or spoken presentation, used to let an important idea be absorbed or to signal a shift to the next point
Eitan placed a short pause after each main point to let the audience think.
pause after + [noun phrase]
At the graduation ceremony, Principal Osei used a well-timed pause before announcing the scholarship winner.
well-timed pause — collocation for rhetorical effect
Apinya used a pause before revealing the winner's name at the ceremony.
Teachers often use a pause after asking a question to give students time to answer.
文法句型
pause + to-infinitive
4. a moment of silence or inaction caused by being unsure, doubtful, or nervous abo
a moment of silence or inaction caused by being unsure, doubtful, or nervous about what to do or say next
There was a long pause before Otis finally gave his answer to the judge.
long pause before + [action]
Her pause at the door showed that she was not sure about entering the room.
Without a moment's pause, the firefighter ran straight into the burning building.
After a short pause to collect his thoughts, Henry continued with his explanation.
- hesitation
stronger emphasis on uncertainty; pause focuses on the silence itself
- delay
suggests a longer hold-up, often due to external factors
- promptness
acting immediately without any stop or doubt
文法句型
without pause
pause of + [duration]
用法筆記
Can be used as an uncountable noun in phrases like 'without pause' meaning 'immediately and without hesitation'.
5. a written musical mark shaped like a half-circle with a dot, directing musicians
a written musical mark shaped like a half-circle with a dot, directing musicians to keep playing a single sound or stay silent beyond the usual written length
The conductor held the pause over the final chord for several extra seconds.
hold the pause — musician's phrasing
Aoi saw a pause symbol above the last note and held it until the conductor motioned.
In sheet music, a pause above a rest means silence should last longer than usual.
The choir held a dramatic pause at the hymn's end before the final amen.
- fermata
the Italian term used in music scores; 'pause' is the English equivalent
文法句型
[musical note] + with a pause
用法筆記
Also called 'fermata' in formal music terminology. Not to be confused with a general pause (noun/1) — this sense refers specifically to the written musical instruction.
6. a punctuation character like a comma or period that visibly divides the sections
a punctuation character like a comma or period that visibly divides the sections of a sentence in writing
In the sentence 'I ran, jumped, and laughed,' the commas create shorter pauses than the period at the end.
comma / period + creates a pause
Shanti learned that a dash signals a longer pause than a comma in a sentence.
Nellie used a semicolon to create a longer pause between two related ideas.
In a story about a family farm, Priya used dashes and semicolons to control pauses in each paragraph.
- punctuation mark
the broader category; 'pause' is specifically the function these marks serve in reading
文法句型
[comma/period] + creates a pause
用法筆記
Distinguish from noun/3: this sense is about punctuation in written text, not about the act of speaking. The pauses are visual cues on the page.
7. something that makes you stop and think carefully before continuing with a plan,
something that makes you stop and think carefully before continuing with a plan, decision, or action
The lawyer's warning gave Shanti pause about signing the agreement without reading it.
give [person] pause — fixed expression
The high cost of repairs gave the family pause before they bought the old house.
News of the accident gave everyone pause and made them drive more carefully.
Astrid's sudden illness gave her manager pause about assigning her to the night shift.
- cause for reflection
more formal and descriptive than 'give pause'
文法句型
give + [person] + pause
pause for thought
用法筆記
Almost always used in the fixed expression 'give [someone] pause' (or 'give pause to [someone]'). Uncountable — you don't say 'a pause' in this sense.
常見錯誤
8. a physical key or on-screen symbol on a media player, music app, or game console
a physical key or on-screen symbol on a media player, music app, or game console that briefly stops playback while keeping the current position ready to continue
Otis pressed pause on the remote control when the doorbell rang.
press pause — common phrasal verb pattern
Mei hit the pause button on the video to answer her sister's question.
Nellie looked for the pause button on the music app but could not find it.
During the live concert stream, Netflix's app had no pause function, so Yumi could not stop for tea.
- stop button
different function — stop ends the playback, while pause holds it ready to resume
- play button
starts or resumes playback
文法句型
press pause
hit pause
the pause button
用法筆記
Also called 'pause button' or simply 'pause'. On digital interfaces it is often referred to as a 'pause function' or 'pause control'.
paused — verb
- pausedpresent simple I / you / we / they
- pauseds3rd person singular
- pauseding-ing form
- pausededpast simple
1. to briefly stop an activity, conversation, or movement, usually with the intenti
to briefly stop an activity, conversation, or movement, usually with the intention of starting it again shortly — for example, pausing to catch your breath, to think, or to let someone speak
Imani paused at the hilltop to catch her breath and take a photo.
pause + to-infinitive (purpose)
The speaker paused for a moment to let the audience finish laughing.
Henry paused his workout when he felt a sharp pain in his left knee.
Construction on the new bridge was paused until the safety inspection was complete.
The teacher paused the lesson to answer a question from the back of the room.
- continue
to start again after stopping
文法句型
pause + to-infinitive
pause + for + [duration/noun]
pause + [activity]
用法筆記
Can be used transitively (pause + activity) or intransitively (just pause). When followed by an infinitive (pause to do something), it marks the purpose of the stop.
常見錯誤
2. to use a device control to temporarily freeze a video, song, or game so you can
to use a device control to temporarily freeze a video, song, or game so you can restart it later from exactly where it stopped
Lucía paused the movie to get popcorn from the kitchen.
pause + [media] to-infinitive
Takeshi paused the online lecture when his internet connection became unstable.
The game automatically pauses when you press the escape key on your keyboard.
Hamza paused the song halfway through to show his friend the guitar part.
文法句型
pause + [recording/video/song]
用法筆記
Unlike verb/1, this sense always takes a direct object — the recording or media being stopped. The purpose is typically to attend to something else briefly.