---
name: "sigpause"
section: "3"
platform: "linux"
package: "man-pages"
version: "6.19-1"
release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/sigpause/3"
---

# sigpause(3)

atomically release blocked signals and wait for interrupt

## NAME

sigpause - atomically release blocked signals and wait for interrupt

## LIBRARY

Standard C library (*libc*, *-lc*)

## SYNOPSIS

```
#include <signal.h>
```

**\[\[deprecated\]\] int sigpause(int** *sigmask***);  /\* BSD (but see VERSIONS) \*/**

**\[\[deprecated\]\] int sigpause(int** *sig***);      /\* POSIX.1 / SysV / UNIX 95 \*/**

## DESCRIPTION

Don't use this function. Use [**sigsuspend**(2)](/sigsuspend/2.md) instead.

The function **sigpause**() is designed to wait for some signal. It changes the process's signal mask (set of blocked signals), and then waits for a signal to arrive. Upon arrival of a signal, the original signal mask is restored.

## RETURN VALUE

If **sigpause**() returns, it was interrupted by a signal and the return value is -1 with *errno* set to **EINTR**.

## ATTRIBUTES

For an explanation of the terms used in this section, see [**attributes**(7)](/attributes/7.md).

| | | |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Interface** | **Attribute** | **Value** |
| **sigpause**() | Thread safety | MT-Safe |

## VERSIONS

On Linux, this routine is a system call only on the Sparc (sparc64) architecture.

glibc uses the BSD version if the **\_BSD\_SOURCE** feature test macro is defined and none of **\_POSIX\_SOURCE**, **\_POSIX\_C\_SOURCE**, **\_XOPEN\_SOURCE**, **\_GNU\_SOURCE**, or **\_SVID\_SOURCE** is defined. Otherwise, the System V version is used, and feature test macros must be defined as follows to obtain the declaration:

- •

  Since glibc 2.26: \_XOPEN\_SOURCE \>= 500

- •

  glibc 2.25 and earlier: \_XOPEN\_SOURCE

Since glibc 2.19, only the System V version is exposed by *\<signal.h\>*; applications that formerly used the BSD **sigpause**() should be amended to use [**sigsuspend**(2)](/sigsuspend/2.md).

## STANDARDS

POSIX.1-2008.

## HISTORY

POSIX.1-2001. Obsoleted in POSIX.1-2008.

The classical BSD version of this function appeared in 4.2BSD. It sets the process's signal mask to *sigmask*. UNIX 95 standardized the incompatible System V version of this function, which removes only the specified signal *sig* from the process's signal mask. The unfortunate situation with two incompatible functions with the same name was solved by the [**sigsuspend**(2)](/sigsuspend/2.md) function, that takes a *sigset\_t \** argument (instead of an *int*).

## SEE ALSO

[**kill**(2)](/kill/2.md), [**sigaction**(2)](/sigaction/2.md), [**sigprocmask**(2)](/sigprocmask/2.md), [**sigsuspend**(2)](/sigsuspend/2.md), [**sigblock**(3)](/sigblock/3.md), [**sigvec**(3)](/sigvec/3.md), [**feature\_test\_macros**(7)](/feature_test_macros/7.md)