Break hands, we hear (5)
I believe the answer is:
pause
'break' is the definition.
('pause' can be a synonym of 'break')
'hands we hear' is the wordplay.
'hands' becomes 'paws' ('paw' can be a synonym of 'hand').
'we hear' indicates a 'sounds like' (homophone) clue.
'paws' sounds like 'PAUSE'.
(Other definitions for pause that I've seen before include "Short break" , "Temporary stop or hesitation" , "Stop for a moment" , "Rest" , "Temporary inactivity" .)