ahem

American  

[uh-hem, hem] / əˈhɛm, hɛm /

interjection

1. (an utterance similar to the sound of clearing one's throat, used to attract attention, express doubt or a mild warning, etc.)

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ahem British  

/ əˈhɛm /

interjection

1. a clearing of the throat, used to attract attention, express doubt, etc

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Explanation

Use the interjection ahem when you want to get someone's attention in a low-key way. If a class is being noisy, the teacher may say, "Ahem, class. Let's turn our attention to the periodic table of the elements now." Ahem mimics the sound of a person clearing their throat, so you can use it any time you might naturally do some throat-clearing. In addition to getting attention, saying ahem can also express disapproval, embarrassment, or hesitation. If your overhear your friends talking about you, you might say, "Ahem. I'm standing right here."

Example Sentences

After I pointed out that, ahem, bolognese is meat, she directed me to Instagram dietitians for advice about protein intake.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 27, 2026

That brings us to our call of the day from Yardeni Research, which has just raised the bar, ahem, on gold’s outlook next year.

From MarketWatch • Dec. 23, 2025

Reports of burnout have been in the news for years, especially in fields such as medicine, education and — ahem — journalism.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 24, 2024

It has all of the trappings of a WWE match and has many in the press giddy with spreading their, ahem, insight.

From Salon • Sep. 5, 2024

“Would you, ahem, would you please wait until seven p.m., to allow me to apprise my corporate headquarters of recent developments?”

From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston

Related Words

• cry
• exclamation
• expletive
• insertion
• interpolation
• interposition
• shout