give pause

Verb

Meaning

give pause (third-person singular simple present gives pause, present participle giving pause, simple past gave pause, past participle given pause)

(idiomatic) To give somebody cause for concern.
Here is a fact that will give you pause. Many states do not publish the voting records of their legislators.

Source: en.wiktionary.org

Examples

It should give pause to all the Americans who regard fruitcake as the ultimate Christmas brick, worthy only of rewrapping and regifting! Source: Internet

I figured that this news would surely cause some to give pause, and that simply by standing my ground I would take their place in line. Source: Internet

It's not a heavy read, but does give pause to how one looks at other people. Source: Internet

Close letter words and terms

give particular emphasis give particular emphasis to give particular importance to give paw give permission for give permission to