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Glite Dictionary
to hit pause

to hit pause

2 4.3
Temporarily stop an activity to rest or think
  • phrasal verb
  • Informal
translation icon : pausar
  • If we hit pause for a second and consider, without emotion, I think you'll realize that this is one of those very rare moments where, with a stroke of a pen, no one in your family-- I'm talking your children's grandchildren-- will ever have to worry about money again.
  • hit pause on the remote

I think you should just hit pause right now and pick it up.

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Examples

  • We're hitting pause after this.

    The Town (2010)

  • OK, I'll give you a moment to hit pause and try it on your own.

    MIT OpenCourseWare

  • I think you should just hit pause right now and pick it up.

    Rich Roll

  • But I am saying you maybe hit pause on something for a moment.

  • So let me hit pause and let me ask you, would it make sense?

    Tim Ferriss

  • - Why did you hit pause?

    Deadrise (2011)

  • "You can hit pause," he said.

    Fiction book (1997)

  • Can't we just hit pause real quick?

    UglyDolls (2019)

  • Let's hit pause.

    Cheap Thrills (2013)

  • Let's hit pause for a moment and think about our next steps.

Synonyms

to hold on
vsto hit pause
  • Informal
∞ 1.3

To wait for a short time during a phone call

is used to halt an activity to think or reassess rather than merely wait
to interrupt
vsto hit pause
909 2.5

To stop someone speaking or an activity

is a planned temporary stop to consider or reassess, not just an interruption
to take a break
vsto hit pause
496 1.4

To stop doing something for a short time to rest or relax before continuing

is used to stop briefly mainly to think or reassess
to leave off
vsto hit pause
  • Informal
104 4.1

Stop doing something for a short time, for example at a point in a book

is used for a temporary stop specifically to reflect or reassess
to take a moment
vsto hit pause
98 3.4

Stop for a short time to think, rest or remember something

is a longer temporary stop aimed at reconsidering or resting
to break off
vsto hit pause
50 3.2

To stop something suddenly before it is finished, for example a talk or relationship

is a temporary, intentional stop to rest or reconsider rather than a sudden end
to take time out
vsto hit pause
24 3.2

Stop what you are doing to rest or do something different for a short time

is used when the short stop is for thinking or reassessment
to take a breather
vsto hit pause
  • Informal
14 3.5

To stop and rest for a short time

is used to stop briefly mainly to consider or reassess
to break up
vsto hit pause
11 3.3

Interrupt an activity so it stops for a short time

is a deliberate short halt for reflection rather than a general interruption

Antonyms

to continue
∞ 1.0

To keep doing something without stopping

to resume
297 3.1

To start an activity again after a pause

How Long

to quit
668 1.0
to take a break
496 1.4
to hit pause
  • Informal
2 4.3
to pause
346 1.0

Surface Forms

hit pause infinitive
hit pause past
hit pause past participle
hitting pause present participle
hits pause third person singular

Morphology

hit + pause

The meaning is directly derivable by combining 'hit' (in the frequent collocational sense 'press/activate') with 'pause' (briefly interrupt), so a learner who knows both words can infer 'temporarily stop/take a break'. This is a productive, compositional pattern in English (compare 'hit play', 'hit stop') and is therefore transparent to a B1 learner.

Etymology

Hit pause comes from the simple image of pressing a pause button on a music player or TV remote — you hit it to stop the action for a moment. That's why it now means 'to stop something temporarily' or 'take a short break'.