pause symbol

Two vertical bars

The pause symbol is two vertical parallel lines (⏸), used on media players and remote controls to indicate the function that temporarily stops playback.

It appears on buttons, touchscreens, and in video interfaces: Hit the pause symbol to stop the video.

The symbol has become shorthand for taking a break or stopping to reflect.

Related
  • stopCease all motion
  • breakInterrupt continuity
  • buttonDisc through a hole
  • iconPictorial screen symbol
  • mediaInformation distribution channels

media player · video · music · player · intermission · halt · freeze · suspend · remote · control · breathe · moment · silence · stillness · waiting · rewind · fast forward · forward

Categories
Opposites
playback state

pause symbolplay button

Initiates media playback

triangle symbol · forward arrow · stop button

media control action

pause symbolplay button

Initiates media playback

unpause · skip button

temporal action

pause symbolplay

Recreation or staged drama

resume · continue · start · unpause · proceed

Family

pause, pauses, paused, pausing, symbol, symbols, symbolic, symbolize, symbolized

Familiarity
Top 500,000
Profile
Known to kids · Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Everyday, not technical · Rated G