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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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

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

The picture of Russia emerging triumphant and legitimized from such a deal is, ahem, at variance with reality.

From The Wall Street Journal

He cleared his throat, to demonstrate, but instead of “ahem” it came out more like “ahwoo,” and he quickly covered his mouth.

From Literature

Good liars also tend to be intelligent, Wiseman says, citing salespeople, politicians and - ahem - performers among those who will be "pretty high self-monitors".

From BBC

Related Words

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