---
name: "pause"
section: "3"
platform: "freebsd"
package: "base"
version: "16.0-CURRENT-20261027-61c70dc16a79"
release: "FreeBSD 16.0-CURRENT (2026-10-27)"
platforms: ["freebsd", "macos"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/pause/3"
---

# pause(3)

stop until signal

## NAME

**pause** – stop until signal

## LIBRARY

Standard C Library (libc, -lc)

## SYNOPSIS

**#include \<unistd.h\>**

*int*\

**pause**(*void*);

## DESCRIPTION

**Pause** **is** **made** **obsolete** **by** [sigsuspend(2)](/sigsuspend/2.md).

The **pause**() function forces a process to pause until a signal is received from either the [kill(2)](/kill/2.md) function or an interval timer. (See [setitimer(2)](/setitimer/2.md).) Upon termination of a signal handler started during a **pause**(), the **pause**() call will return.

## RETURN VALUES

Always returns -1.

## ERRORS

The **pause**() function always returns:

- \[EINTR\]

  The call was interrupted.

## SEE ALSO

[kill(2)](/kill/2.md), [select(2)](/select/2.md), [sigsuspend(2)](/sigsuspend/2.md)

## HISTORY

A **pause**() system call first appeared in the Programmer's Workbench (PWB/UNIX) and was then ported to Version 7 AT&T UNIX. It was reimplemented as a wrapper around the **sigpause**() and **sigblock**() system calls in 4.2BSD, and around the [sigsuspend(2)](/sigsuspend/2.md) and [sigprocmask(2)](/sigprocmask/2.md) system calls in 4.3BSD-Reno.