B2[ C ]
a short period in which something such as a sound or an activity is stopped before starting again:
There will be a brief pause in the proceedings while the piano is moved into place.
After a long, awkward pause, someone finally asked a question.
She spoke for three quarters of an hour without so much as a pause.
There followed a pregnant (= filled with meaning) pause in which neither of them knew what to say.
[ U ]
a button or control that allows you to stop a recording for a short time:
I pressed pause/the pause button so I could go and make a cup of tea.
[ C ]
a period of silence between musical notes, or a symbol that represents this
[ C ]
a symbol in music meaning that a note or rest should be held for longer than normal