a temporary stop or rest; an intermission of action; interruption; suspension; cessation.-temporary inaction or waiting; hesitation; suspence; doubt.-in speaking or reading aloud, a brief arrest or suspension of voice, to indicate the limits and relations of sentences and their parts.-in writing and printing, a mark indicating the place and nature of an arrest of voice in reading; a punctuation point; as, teach the pupil to mind the pauses.-a break or paragraph in writing.-a hold. see 4th hold, 7.-to make a short stop; to cease for a time; to intermit speaking or acting; to stop; to wait; to rest.-to be intermitted; to cease; as, the music pauses.-to hesitate; to hold back; to delay.-to stop in order to consider; hence, to consider; to reflect.-to cause to stop or rest; -- used reflexively.