Hiatus Meaning: Definition, Plural and Examples

A hiatus is a pause or break in something that is expected to continue later. When a TV series, band, podcast or career "goes on hiatus," it stops for a while, usually for months or years, but it hasn't officially ended.

The word is formal but very common in entertainment news, and it also has precise meanings in linguistics and anatomy. This guide covers the definition, the correct plural (hiatuses), pronunciation, the Latin origin, how people use it online, and the mistakes to avoid.

Quick answer: Hiatus (hy-AY-tus) = a temporary pause or gap. "The show is on hiatus until next year." Plural: hiatuses. It suggests a return is expected, unlike "ended" or "cancelled."

On this page

1. Definitions
2. Pronunciation and spelling
3. Where the word came from
4. Hiatus in entertainment and online culture
5. Examples across contexts
6. How to announce a hiatus
7. Hiatus vs similar words
8. US vs UK vs Australia
9. Common mistakes
10. Memory trick
11. Practice quiz
12. Putting hiatus to work

Definitions

Hiatus is a noun with one main everyday meaning and some specialist ones.

1. A pause in an activity (the everyday sense)

This is the meaning most people need: a break in something ongoing, such as production, publication, performing or work.

• "The band announced an indefinite hiatus."
• "The magazine resumed publication after a two-year hiatus."

2. A gap or missing section

In older or more academic writing, a hiatus can be a gap in a sequence, record or text: "There is a hiatus in the manuscript where several pages are missing." Historians and geologists use it for gaps in records or rock layers.

3. In linguistics

A hiatus is when two vowel sounds sit next to each other in separate syllables with no consonant between them, as in naïve (nah-EEV), co-operate or the apple. Many English speakers break up a hiatus by adding a linking sound: "the apple" or "law-r-and order" in non-rhotic accents.

4. In anatomy

A hiatus is a natural opening in a body structure. The best-known example is the esophageal hiatus, the opening in the diaphragm. A hiatal hernia (US) or hiatus hernia (UK and Australia) occurs there.

Pronunciation and spelling

Hiatus is pronounced hy-AY-tus: three syllables, stress on the middle. The first syllable sounds like "high." There is one t and one s.

Why "hiati" is wrong

Latin nouns ending in -us don't all pluralize the same way. Cactus became cacti because it belongs to the class of nouns that took -i. Hiatus belongs to a different class (the fourth declension), whose plural was also spelled hiatus, with a long u. So the "Latin" plural is not hiati. In English, the natural plural is hiatuses, and that's what major dictionaries recommend. The same issue affects status (plural statuses) and apparatus (apparatuses).

Where the word came from

Hiatus comes from Latin hiatus, meaning "an opening, a gaping," from the verb hiare, "to gape" or "to yawn open." It entered English in the sixteenth century, first in the literal sense of a gap or opening, including physical openings and gaps in texts.

The sense of a pause in time, as in a TV show on hiatus, grew from that idea of a gap. If a sequence of events has a hole in it, that hole is a hiatus. It's the same sort of metaphor we use with "a gap year" or "a gap in my résumé."

Hiatus in entertainment and online culture

The word appears constantly in entertainment news because it lets bands and shows pause without announcing a split.

• TV: American networks traditionally talk about shows going "on hiatus" between seasons or during a mid-season break. "Midseason hiatus" is common industry wording.
• Music: "Indefinite hiatus" is a well-known formula for a band stopping without saying they've broken up. Fans often read between the lines, because some hiatuses last decades.
• Creators: YouTubers, podcasters, webcomic artists and writers announce hiatuses for rest, health or other projects. A short post titled "Taking a hiatus" is a familiar format.
• Personal life: People take a hiatus from social media, alcohol, dating or a sport. It sounds more intentional than "a break."

Tone

Hiatus is neutral to formal. It's not slang, and it's not stuffy either; it fits news reports, emails, essays and casual chat. In conversation, it can sound slightly dramatic or self-important if used for tiny breaks: "I'm taking a hiatus from washing up" is usually a joke.

Examples across contexts

Everyday

1. "I'm taking a hiatus from social media until exams are over."
2. "Our book club in Leeds went on hiatus over the summer."
3. "After a three-year hiatus, Mum has started painting again."
4. "The café's trivia night is on hiatus while they renovate."
5. "Tom's taking a short hiatus from footy because of his knee."

Workplace and email

6. "The project is on hiatus until we confirm the budget."
7. "Please note that the newsletter will go on hiatus during December."
8. "Priya returned from a year-long hiatus to lead the Brisbane office."
9. "We'll resume weekly calls after a brief hiatus for the holidays."
10. "Hiring is on hiatus pending the restructure."

News-style

11. "The long-running drama will go on hiatus after its tenth season, the network confirmed."
12. "Fans celebrated as the band ended its decade-long hiatus with a tour announcement."
13. "Construction on the Ohio bridge resumed after a six-month hiatus."
14. "The festival returns to Adelaide after a hiatus caused by funding problems."

Academic and technical

15. "The archive shows a hiatus in parish records between 1640 and 1660."
16. "Geologists identified a hiatus in the sedimentary sequence."
17. "In the phrase 'the egg', some speakers insert a glide to break the hiatus."
18. "Her symptoms were consistent with a hiatus hernia."

Chat-style

Sam: is that podcast still going Jess: they're on hiatus, back in spring apparently

Leo: where've you been?? Mia: took a hiatus from the group chat lol, it was a lot

Ava: new episodes tonight!! Noah: finally, that hiatus was forever

How to announce a hiatus

If you run a newsletter, podcast, club or creative project, you may one day need to tell people you're pausing. A good hiatus announcement is short, honest and specific about what happens next. It answers three questions: what's pausing, roughly how long, and how people will know you're back.

Example email (work newsletter):

Subject: The Friday Digest is taking a short break

Hi everyone,

The Friday Digest will be on hiatus from 15 December to 12 January while the team takes leave. Our next issue will arrive in your inbox on Friday 16 January.

If you need anything urgent in the meantime, please contact Hannah Lee in the Leeds office.

Thanks for reading all year, and see you in January.

Example social post (creator):

Quick update: I'm putting the channel on hiatus for about two months to rest and work on a bigger project. No new videos until March, but I'll post here when I'm back. Thank you for your patience.

Notice what these do well. They give dates or a rough timeframe, they don't over-apologize, and they tell readers where to look next. If you do want to acknowledge any disruption, see other ways to say sorry for the inconvenience for phrasing that doesn't sound stiff.

"Indefinite hiatus" and reading between the lines

When an organization announces an "indefinite hiatus," it means there's no planned return date. Sometimes that's genuine uncertainty; sometimes it's a gentle way of ending something without the finality of "we've broken up" or "we're closing." If you are writing one, be honest about which you mean. Readers appreciate clarity, and a vague announcement often invites rumors.

Returning from a hiatus

The comeback message is a natural partner: "We're back after a six-month hiatus!" It can briefly mention what changed during the break and what to expect. Keep it upbeat; a return is good news. In a work context you might follow up with colleagues you've been out of touch with; our guide to other ways to say just checking in can help you restart those conversations naturally.

Hiatus vs similar words

A useful distinction: a sabbatical is a type of hiatus with a specific workplace meaning, and intermission or interval is a pause within a single event, while a hiatus spans a longer stretch of time.

US vs UK vs Australia

Hiatus is used and spelled the same way in all three countries, and its plural is hiatuses everywhere. The few differences are around the word:

• United States: "On hiatus" is particularly common in TV industry language because of the American network season. The medical adjective is usually hiatal ("hiatal hernia").
• United Kingdom: The word is equally common, but British TV talks more about a "series" than a "season," so you'll read "between series" alongside "on hiatus." The medical term is usually hiatus hernia.
• Australia: Usage follows a mix of British and American habits, as Australian viewers watch both. Hiatus hernia is the usual medical term.

Related break words do differ: a performance pause is an intermission in the US and usually an interval in the UK and Australia, and a school break is recess in the US but more often break, playtime or recess depending on the school in Britain, with recess and lunch common in Australian schools.

Common mistakes

❌ "The band announced a hiatis." ✅ "The band announced a hiatus."

❌ "Both shows have had multiple hiati." ✅ "Both shows have had multiple hiatuses."

❌ "The series is on a hiatus forever." (contradictory) ✅ "The series has ended." or "The series is on indefinite hiatus."

❌ "I'm on hiatus from lunch, back in 20." (too grand for a short break) ✅ "I'm on my lunch break, back in 20."

❌ Pronouncing it "HEE-a-tus" or "hi-AT-us." ✅ hy-AY-tus.

For other words with tricky Latin plurals, the debate over data is vs data are follows similar logic.

Memory trick

A hiatus is a gap, and the word comes from Latin for gaping or yawning. Picture someone yawning: a big gap, then they carry on. Hiatus = a yawn in the schedule. For the plural, remember that English has the last word: hiatus + es = hiatuses.

Practice quiz

1. Choose the correct plural: The festival has survived two ___. (a) hiati (b) hiatuses (c) hiatusses
2. Fill the blank: The podcast went ___ hiatus in March.
3. Which word best fits? "Professor Kim is on ___ this year, writing a book." (a) intermission (b) sabbatical (c) recess
4. True or false: A hiatus normally means something has ended permanently.
5. Choose the correct pronunciation: (a) hy-AY-tus (b) HEE-a-tus (c) hi-AT-us
6. Fill the blank (UK medical term): "She was diagnosed with a ___ hernia."

Answers

1. (b) — Hiatuses is the standard English plural.
2. on — The fixed phrase is "on hiatus" (or "went on hiatus").
3. (b) — A sabbatical is a structured break from academic or professional work.
4. False — A hiatus implies a temporary pause.
5. (a) — Stress falls on the middle syllable.
6. hiatus — British and Australian English say hiatus hernia; US usually says hiatal hernia.

Putting hiatus to work

Reach for hiatus when you mean a longer, deliberate pause in something ongoing that you expect to pick up again: a series, a project, a career or a habit. Pronounce it hy-AY-tus, pluralize it as hiatuses, and use "break" for the everyday ten-minute kind so the word keeps its slightly grand, newsworthy feel.