pause to stop speaking or stop doing something for a very short time before starting again.
Pause is used especially in written descriptions. In everyday spoken English, people usually just say
stop:
She paused at the bottom of the stairs and looked up at the clock. He paused, waiting for Larry to say something.hesitate to stop for a moment and wait before doing something, because you feel unsure or nervous about it:
She hesitated for a moment before replying.have/take a break to stop working for a short time in order to rest, eat etc:
We’re all getting tired. Let’s take a break for ten minutes.adjourn formal if a meeting or court adjourns or is adjourned, it stops for a short time:
If there are no more questions, the committee will adjourn until tomorrow morning. The trial was adjourned because one of the defendants was ill.take five especially American English informal to stop for a short time in order to rest:
Let’s take five and get some coffee.break off to suddenly stop speaking, especially because you see, hear, or think of something:
He broke off his conversation when he saw Mary running towards him. She broke off and looked embarrassed, then said, ‘I’ll explain later.’a long pause There was a long pause before anyone spoke.a brief/short/slight pause "Well, that was a surprise," he said after a brief pause.a momentary pause (=very short) There was a momentary pause during which Mr Hammond glanced at his wife.an awkward pause After an awkward pause, Ray began to answer my question.a dramatic pause (=one that has a dramatic effect) In the dramatic pause before she replied, you could feel the tension in the room.a pregnant pause (=one that is full of meaning or emotion) ‘OK. Let’s move on,’ said the President after a pregnant pause. [TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲
take five v. phr. To take a five-minute break during some work or theatrical rehearsal.
"All right, everyone," the director cried. "Let's take five." [TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲