--v.

1 hesitate, interrupt, delay, hold up, discontinue, break,wait, mark time, suspend, intermit, falter, rest: He paused fora 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 theneighbouring flat resumed.

UK noun countable  ADVANCED 

a short period in which something such as a sound or an activity is stopped before starting again    暂停 There will be a brief pause in the proceedings while the piano is moved into place.   在将钢琴搬过去放好之前，活动将暂停一会儿。 After a long, awkward pause someone asked a question.   在长得令人尴尬的停顿过后，有人问了个问题。 She spoke for three quarters of an hour without so much as a pause.   她一连说了45分钟，连停都没停一下。 There followed a pregnant (= filled with meaning) pause in which neither of them knew what to say.   接下来是意味深长的停顿，两人谁也不知道说甚么好。UK noun countable give sb pause formal

to cause someone to stop and think about what they were doing or intending to do    使（某人）停下来仔细考虑UK verb intransitive  ADVANCED 

to stop doing something for a short time    暂停，停顿 He paused and thought for a moment.   他停下来想了一会儿。 She paused to get her breath back and then carried on jogging.   她停下来喘了口气，接着继续慢跑。