pause
nounADJ.
brief, momentary, short, slight, small | long, prolonged | frequent | awkward | pregnant
VERB + PAUSE
take
Shall we take a pause here?PAUSE + VERB
follow
In the pause that followed, I noticed that he was shaking.PAUSE + NOUN
button (on a video recorder, etc.)
PREP.
after a/the ~
‘I don't know,’ he said after a long pause.| in a/the ~
Everyone nodded in agreement in the pauses.| with a/ the ~
He read very slowly and with frequent pauses.| without a/the ~
She read the whole text without a pause.| ~ before
There was a long pause before he spoke again.| ~ between
in the pauses between his jokes| ~ for
a pause for breath| ~ in
during a pause in the conversationpause
verbADV.
briefly, (for) a moment, (for) an instant, momentarily
She paused a moment and then walked away.| barely, hardly
He spoke for two hours and barely paused for breath.| deliberately
She paused deliberately, her eyes holding his.| dramatically, impressively, meaningfully, significantly | reflectively, thoughtfully | irresolutely
PHRASES
pause for breath/thought, pause only (long enough) to do sth
Pausing only to put out her cigarette, she left the room.| pause to consider/look/reflect/think
Just pause to think before giving me your answer.| without pausing
Without pausing to knock, she opened the door.