Hands hesitate, we hear (4)
I believe the answer is:
paws
'hands' is the definition.
(I know this)
'hesitate we hear' is the wordplay.
'hesitate' becomes 'pause' (synonyms).
'we hear' indicates a 'sounds like' (homophone) clue.
'pause' is a homophone of 'PAWS'.
(Other definitions for paws that I've seen before include "Parts of Cats" , "Tom's feet" , "Feet of a quadruped" .)