PAUSING Synonyms: 24 Similar and Opposite Words

pausing

verb

present participle of pause

as in hesitating

to come to a temporary halt in one's activity he paused for a moment to regain his composure

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of pausing In November 2025, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit issued a temporary order pausing the enactment of SB 261. — Jon McGowan, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026 The finale, which opens with Max pausing to observe a small courtesy before committing an atrocity on Crystal’s houseboat, closes with the Bowdens reaching for ordinary family life after surviving an atrocity of their own. — Jp Mangalindan, Time, 31 July 2026 And so once again Hiyakawa is pausing service of its usual tasting menu to bring back a new izakaya menu from chef de cuisine Jamie Liu, who runs the kitchen, and chef Royce Appling, who oversees the sushi counter. — Connie Ogle july 30, Miami Herald, 30 July 2026 There’s a long held belief that pausing AI development would hand China an advantage in the global AI race. — Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 29 July 2026 Sobbing and struggling to speak, the then-14-year-old described pausing in a school bathroom before carrying out the attack. — Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 27 July 2026 The team’s business side prepared for the best, pausing season-ticket sales to see what happened in free agency, as a LeBron return would be a financial boon the organization could easily take advantage of with higher prices. — David Aldridge, New York Times, 25 July 2026 Wu vowed at last week’s vigil that the city would conduct an analysis of road design at the corridor where Gag was killed and recommit to bike lanes and street safety projects that she has been hammered for pausing in the wake of Gag’s death. — Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald, 22 July 2026 The Little Women Oscar nominee and Peaky Blinders star kept their midday pizza date casual, pausing in a park to sit on a bench together. — Jack Smart, PEOPLE, 20 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for pausing

hesitating

Verb

While some may be looking for more reasons to eat cookies, many more are simply hesitating to eat salads and other fresh produce amid a multistate outbreak of cyclospora, known for that unpleasant symptom, among others.

— Katia Hetter, CNN Money, 22 July 2026
The book does often feel like a recording of a mental jam session, but there is also a sense of being guided by a kind of hesitating yet urgent voice that needs to get things figured out.

— Craig Morgan Teicher, Literary Hub, 1 June 2026