Meaning & use
press pause
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Meanings
phrasefixed phrase
To stop a video, song, or other playing media by pushing the button that pauses it.
Grammar: Used with media that is already playing; the object is understood from context, so no object follows: She pressed pause and left the room.
Patterns
- press pause on something
- press pause to do something
He pressed pause when the phone rang so he would not miss the next line.
Press pause whenever you want to take notes on the lecture.
The film was so tense that I had to press pause and make a cup of tea.
phrasefixed phrasefigurative
To temporarily stop an activity, plan, or process and decide later whether to continue it.
Grammar: Often followed by on and the thing that stops: press pause on the talks. It does not take a direct object, so say 'press pause on the project', not 'press pause the project'.
Patterns
- press pause on something
The two companies agreed to press pause on the deal until the new year.
After the injury, she decided to press pause on her training and rest for a month.
Let's press pause on this argument and come back to it when we are calmer.
Common combinations
- press pause on a video
- She pressed pause on the video and wrote down the address.
- press pause and rewind
- I pressed pause and rewound the clip to hear the joke again.
- press pause on the talks
- Both sides pressed pause on the talks over the weekend.
- hit pause
- He hit pause just before the goal was scored.
- press play again
- Press play again when you are ready to continue.
Synonyms and how they differ
- pause
- The single verb pause can be used on its own for media ('Pause the film'), while press pause names the physical action on a button.
- stop
- Stop means ending playback completely, whereas press pause suggests you may start again from the same point.
- freeze
- Freeze is more informal and often describes an image held on screen, not a deliberate press of a button.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: press pause or pose?
press pause vs pose
Pose sounds similar but means to present a question or to sit for a photo; press pause is only about stopping playback or an activity.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'press pause' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Press pause' does not take a direct object, so the thing being stopped is introduced with 'on'. Options 1 and 3 attach the film directly or with the wrong preposition, and option 4 wrongly adds an article before 'pause'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “press pause”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.