timeout
n.a short break from an activity, often used in sports or when a child is behaving badly. You use it to stop what is happening and rest or think.
n.a brief suspension of activity, typically for rest, strategy, or disciplinary purposes. Often used in competitive sports or as a behavioral management technique for children.
“The coach called a timeout to discuss the next play.”
“After the toddler threw his toys, his mother gave him a five-minute timeout to calm down.”
“The head coach strategically utilized his final timeout during the closing seconds of the fourth quarter to organize a high-percentage scoring play.”
Often written as two words ('time out') when used as a phrasal verb or in general contexts, but frequently closed as 'timeout' in sports and computing.
From time + out.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.