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hiccup

or hic-cough

[ hik-uhp, -uhp ]
/ ˈhɪk ʌp, -əp /
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See synonyms for: hiccup / hiccuped / hiccuping / hiccupped on Thesaurus.com

noun
a quick, involuntary inhalation that follows a spasm of the diaphragm and is suddenly checked by closure of the glottis, producing a short, relatively sharp sound.
Usually hiccups. the condition of having such spasms: She got the hiccups just as she began to speak.
Informal. a minor difficulty, interruption, setback, etc.: a hiccup in the stock market.
verb (used without object), hic·cuped or hic·cupped, hic·cup·ing or hic·cup·ping.
to make the sound of a hiccup: The motor hiccuped as it started.
to have the hiccups.
Informal. to experience a temporary decline, setback, interruption, etc.: There was general alarm when the economy hiccuped.
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Origin of hiccup

1570–80; alteration of hocket, hickock, equivalent to hic + -ock; akin to Low German hick hiccup; see hocket
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use hiccup in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for hiccup

hiccup

hiccough

/ (ˈhɪkʌp) /

noun
a spasm of the diaphragm producing a sudden breathing in followed by a closing of the glottis, resulting in a sharp soundTechnical name: singultus
the state or condition of having such spasms
informal a minor difficulty or problem
verb -cups, -cuping, -cuped, -cups, -cupping, -cupped, -coughs, -coughing or -coughed
(intr) to make a hiccup or hiccups
(tr) to utter with a hiccup or hiccups

Word Origin for hiccup

C16: of imitative origin
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
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