1 : a temporary stop : a period of time in which something is stopped before it is started again [count] ▪ There was a brief/long pause in the conversation. ▪ After a pause the teacher continued the lesson. [noncount] ▪ He talked for over an hour without pause. [=without pausing or stopping] 2 [noncount] : a control that you use when you want to stop a recorded song, movie, etc., for a short time
▪ He hit pause on the player and explained the significance of the song's lyrics. ▪ Please hit the pause button on the remote control. 3 [count] music : the sign ·̑ that is placed over or under a musical note, rest, etc., to show that it should be held longer than usual