Heimlich manoeuvre

British

/ ˈhaɪmlɪk /

noun

Also called: abdominal thrust. a technique in first aid to dislodge a foreign body in a person's windpipe by applying sudden upward pressure on the upper abdomen

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of Heimlich manoeuvre

C20: named after Henry J. Heimlich (born 1920), American surgeon

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

She also vowed to learn how to peform the Heimlich manoeuvre - which involves abdominal thrusts from behind - "in case I ever come across anybody who needs my help".

From BBC • Nov. 24, 2025

"In older children, it's much more like adults - we use abdominal thrusts or what people would often have referred to as the Heimlich manoeuvre," Dr Ruddle said.

From BBC • Mar. 21, 2025

The story that garnered the biggest response from our readers this week was the Who, What, Why: How easy is it to do the Heimlich manoeuvre?

From BBC • Feb. 14, 2014

The actor reportedly saw that Mr John was in difficulty and performed the Heimlich manoeuvre on him.

From BBC • Feb. 8, 2014

I handed Madeleine's doctor's business card to anyone who looked after her, and offered to go over CPR training, or demonstrate the Heimlich manoeuvre on Big Bird.

From The Guardian • Jul. 20, 2013

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023