pausing
Taking a breath
Pausing is stopping temporarily before continuing.
A speaker pauses for emphasis or to collect thoughts.
A video pauses when you hit the button.
She kept pausing to check her phone.
The word often implies brief interruption rather than full cessation: Pausing mid-sentence, he reconsidered his words.
Rhythmic pulse or strike
- silenceTotal lack of sound
- caesuraPause within a line
- restCessation of activity
- timingArt of choosing moments
delivery · emphasis · suspension · comic timing · pacing · fermata · ellipsis · trailing off
State of being unsure
- indecisionFailure to decide
- doubtLack of firm belief
- hesitanceUncertainty before acting
- waveringShowing unsteady resolve
vacillation · tentativeness · ambivalence · reluctance · second-guessing · stalling · dithering · equivocation
Interrupt continuity
- intervalDuration between two points
- recessPause in activity
- respiteShort pause from hardship
- hiatusBreak in activity
interlude · rest · breather · lull · time-out · halftime · entr'acte · intermezzo
Marked by hesitation
- suspendingTemporarily ceasing activity
- ceasingComing to an end
- interruptingBreaking in mid-speech
- freezingExtremely cold
holding · waiting · standing still · holding off · breaking off · staying · arresting · checking
Sustained reflective attention
- meditationFocused attention practice
- introspectionObserving one's own mind
- ponderingThinking deeply about something
- musingReflective contemplation
deliberation · rumination · thoughtfulness · consideration · taking stock · moment of clarity · centering · mindfulness
beat
Rhythmic pulse or strike
timing · delivery · emphasis · suspension · comic timing · pacing · fermata · ellipsis · trailing off
uncertainty
State of being unsure
- indecisionFailure to decide
- doubtLack of firm belief
- hesitanceUncertainty before acting
wavering · vacillation · tentativeness · ambivalence · reluctance · second-guessing · stalling · dithering · equivocation · faltering
break
Interrupt continuity
hiatus · interlude · rest · breather · lull · time-out · halftime · entr'acte · intermezzo · downtime
halting
Marked by hesitation
- suspendingTemporarily ceasing activity
- ceasingComing to an end
- interruptingBreaking in mid-speech
freezing · holding · waiting · standing still · holding off · breaking off · staying · arresting · checking
contemplation
Sustained reflective attention
- meditationFocused attention practice
- introspectionObserving one's own mind
- ponderingThinking deeply about something
musing · deliberation · rumination · thoughtfulness · consideration · taking stock · moment of clarity · centering · mindfulness · breathing room
- gerundswalking, running, talking, eating, sleeping
- hesitatingstalling, wavering, faltering, delaying, dithering
- self-controlself-control, restraint, willpower, composure, moderation
- coping skillscoping skills, coping strategies, coping mechanisms, emotional regulation, self-control
- gamingvideo games, buff, games, PlayStation 4, gameplay
- body languagegestures, facial expressions, hand gestures, posture, nodding
pausingcontinuing
Going on without stopping
proceeding · carrying on · persisting · pressing on · moving forward
pausingstopping
Ceasing to continue
ending · terminating · concluding · finishing · quitting
pausingrushing
Rapid forward movement
hurrying · accelerating · speeding up · racing · plowing through