give (one) pause

To cause one to take a moment to consider something; to cause one to hesitate. I'd love to buy a house, but the fact that I'd have to completely deplete my savings account to do it gives me pause. That statistic should give everyone pause. I think the mayoral candidate's distressing comments gave everyone in the party pause.

give (one) pause for thought

To cause one to take a moment to consider something. I'd love to buy a house, but the fact that I'd have to completely deplete my savings account to do it gives me pause for thought. That statistic should give everyone pause for thought. I think the mayoral candidate's distressing comments gave everyone in the party pause for thought.

give pause to (one)

To cause one to take a moment to consider something. I'd love to buy a house, but the fact that I'd have to completely deplete my savings account to do it gives pause to me. That statistic should give pause to everybody. I think the mayoral candidate's distressing comments gave pause to everyone in the party.

pause for effect

To pause while speaking so as to make one's delivery more dramatic or impactful. I paused for effect before telling my family that I got the promotion. Beaming, Rachel paused for effect before shrieking, "We're engaged!"

pause for thought

To take a moment to consider something. I noticed her pausing for thought as she weighed up her options. I had felt sure of my decision before the meeting, but my supervisor's warning made me pause for thought.

pregnant pause

A long pause in speech that indicates a lot of meaning or significance. There was a pregnant pause when the topic changed to Grandpa's will, and everyone could tell that something shocking was about to be revealed. The most telling part of his speech was the pregnant pause before he denied any wrongdoing.

pregnant silence

A long pause in speech that indicates a lot of meaning or significance. There was a pregnant silence when the topic changed to Grandpa's will, and everyone could tell that something shocking was about to be revealed. The most telling part of his speech was the pregnant silence before he denied any wrongdoing.

give someone pause (for thought)

Fig. to cause someone to stop and think. When I see a golden sunrise, it gives me pause for thought. Witnessing an accident is likely to give all of us pause.

give pause

Cause one to hesitate, as in The high monthly installment payments gave me pause, or, as Shakespeare put it in Hamlet (3:1): "For in that sleep of death what dreams may come ... Must give us pause." [c. 1600]

give pause to someone (or give someone pause (for thought)

cause someone to think carefully or hesitate before doing something.

a pregnant pause (or silence)

a pause or silence that is laden with meaning or significance.

give (somebody) pause for ˈthought

give (somebody) ˈpause

(formal) make somebody think seriously about something or hesitate before doing something: His remarks on the conditions in our prisons gave me pause for thought. Until that moment I’d never realized things were so bad.

a pregnant ˈpause/ˈsilence

a pause/silence in which everyone is waiting or listening for something, or a moment of silence which is full of meaning: There was a pregnant pause while everyone waited to hear what she had to say.

give pause to, to

To stop temporarily; to hesitate; to hold back in order to reflect. This term, too, comes from Shakespeare, from Hamlet’s famous soliloquy on death (3.1), “For in that sleep of death what dreams may come . . . must give us pause.” Eric Partridge said it has been a cliché since the mid-nineteenth century.