A hiatus is a break or interruption in the continuity of something, most often a temporary pause in an activity. A television series between seasons, a musician stepping away from touring, or an employee taking time off can all be described as being on hiatus. The word can also describe a physical gap or opening.
What does hiatus mean?
In everyday use, hiatus refers to a period during which something is suspended before resuming. The emphasis is usually on the temporary nature of the pause: the activity is expected to start again. This is why people speak of a show returning after its hiatus or a writer coming back from a hiatus.
Does hiatus have other meanings?
Yes. Beyond the sense of a pause in time, hiatus can mean a break or gap in a material object, such as an opening in a structure. In anatomy, the word names natural openings in the body. The common thread across all these senses is the idea of a gap or interruption.
Where does the word come from?
Hiatus comes from the Latin verb hiare, meaning to yawn, which makes it a distant relative of both yawn and chasm. It entered English in the middle of the 16th century, originally referring to a physical opening in something before its modern sense of a pause in time became dominant.
How do you use hiatus in a sentence?
You might say a popular series returned after a long hiatus, that an athlete announced a hiatus from competition, or that research continued after a brief funding hiatus. The word is neutral and works in both casual and formal writing.
What is the plural of hiatus?
The standard plural is hiatuses. Because the word is Latin in origin, the unchanged form hiatus is sometimes used as a plural too, though hiatuses is far more common in modern English.
What words are similar to hiatus?
Close synonyms for the time-related sense include break, pause, interruption, intermission, and recess. Each carries a slightly different shade: intermission suggests a scheduled break in a performance, while recess often applies to courts or legislatures. Hiatus tends to imply a longer or more open-ended gap, which is why it fits situations like a career pause or a series that will return after an extended wait.
Is a hiatus always temporary?
Usually, yes. The word strongly implies that whatever stopped is expected to resume, which distinguishes it from words like end or cancellation. When people announce a hiatus, they are typically signaling a pause rather than a permanent stop, though in practice not every hiatus ends as planned. The core meaning still centers on interruption rather than conclusion.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does hiatus mean?
It means a break, pause, or gap, most often a temporary interruption in an activity.
Where does the word come from?
From the Latin verb hiare, meaning to yawn, entering English in the 16th century.
How do you use hiatus in a sentence?
For example, the band went on hiatus for two years before releasing new music.
What is the plural of hiatus?
The usual plural is hiatuses, though hiatus is also accepted.