v. 1 hesitate, interrupt, delay, hold up, discontinue, break, wait, mark time, suspend, intermit, falter, rest He paused for a moment to allow late-comers to take their seats
n. 2 hesitation, interruption, delay, lull, lapse, moratorium, hold-up, wait, break, breather, breathing-space, discontinuity, lacuna, hiatus, abeyance, discontinuation, discontinuance, Prosody caesura, Music fermata, Colloq let-up There was a brief pause, then the altercation in the neighbouring flat resumed