pause

/ˈpȯz/

Middle English, from Latin pausa, from Greek pausis, from pauein to stop

noun

  1. a temporary stop

  2. a break in a verse

  3. a brief suspension of the voice to indicate the limits and relations of sentences and their parts

verb

  1. to stop temporarily

  2. to linger for a time

  3. to cause to pause : stop

idiom

  1. to cause (someone) to stop and think about something carefully or to have doubts about something

I was going to ask her for help, but the look on her face gave me pause.