Delay
Delay noun - An instance or period of being prevented from going about one's business.
Usage example: there was a delay for our boarding while the airplane unloaded incoming passengers
Pause is a synonym for delay in break topic. In some cases you can use "Pause" instead the word "Delay" as a noun or a verb, when it comes to topics like duration, cessation.
Pause
Pause noun - A state or an instance of temporary inaction because of uncertainty about the right course of action.
Usage example: the question caught the professor off guard, and there was a pause before he responded
Delay is a synonym for pause in activity topic. You can use "Delay" instead the word "Pause" as a verb or a noun, if it concerns topics such as break, rest, duration, stop.
Mutual synonyms
How words are described
| long | long delay | long pause |
| normal | normal delay | normal pause |
| usual | usual delay | usual pause |
| brief | brief delay | brief pause |
| Other adjectives: short, suitable, small, little, slight, acceptable, noticeable, dramatic, momentary, extra, significant, odd, several, lengthy, longer, year-long. | ||
Common collocations
Both words in one sentence
- Inverted in GoldenEye, where the pause animation (Bond looking at his watch) happens in real time and you're helpless during that split-second delay, meaning you can indeed be killed if you pause in the middle of a firefight.
Source: Pause Scumming - Some games try to avert this by having the pause menu cover the entire screen, not allowing the player to issue commands while pausing, or simply annoying the player with a pause sound or short delay after pausing and unpausing; however, some examples where even that can be abused springs to mind.
Source: Pause Scumming -
The initial delay before regeneration begins, the pause length between segments, and overall regeneration speed depends on the Guardian's recovery stat.
Source: Video Game / Destiny
Cite this Source
Pause and Delay. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 14, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/delay/pause
Delay & Pause. N.p., 2016. Web. 14 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/delay/pause>.
Pause or Delay. 2016. Accessed August 14, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/delay/pause.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "delay" and "pause" have occurred on timeline