hiccup
or hic-cough
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.
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.
Origin of hiccup
1Words Nearby hiccup
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use hiccup in a sentence
Still, the most recent hiccups in Facebook’s political ad system shows that some — from academics to presidential campaigns — remain concerned about the company’s transparency efforts.
Facebook glitch blocks certain political ads, raising new questions about transparency | Rebecca Heilweil | October 30, 2020 | VoxMost of those hiccups happen when you’re trying to multitask.
The new iPad Air is the best tablet for most people | Stan Horaczek | October 30, 2020 | Popular-ScienceEvery hiccup and anomaly in how elections are run seems to give partisans at either end of the political spectrum a reason to accuse opponents of misdeeds.
Voters should resist blaming every election glitch on political interference | Amy Nordrum | October 29, 2020 | MIT Technology ReviewThe virtual hearing about the tech industry ended up being marred by tech hiccups.
4 key moments from the Senate’s showdown with Big Tech CEOs | Danielle Abril | October 28, 2020 | FortuneThrough it all, we experienced many successes and , of course, several hiccups along the way.
Four must-haves for business resilience in a time of crisis | Jason Sparapani | September 23, 2020 | MIT Technology Review
At the time, I called it a hiccup rather than a heart attack.
So, yeah, it was a very big hiccup—one sufficiently large to jolt the heart from its regular beat.
But the challenge of acting in a major franchise was just a hiccup when compared to the challenge of acting in front of the press.
Not that Kiev and U.S. counter-propaganda goes through without a hiccup.
But I am guessing this is going to be a hiccup in his career.
Dem’s the Breaks: GOP Investigation Gives the Left Another Reason to Point Fingers | David Freedlander | February 20, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTHer face was bowed forward and covered with her hands, and she was shaken at intervals by the convulsive hiccup of grief.
The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson - Swanston Edition Vol. 4 (of 25) | Robert Louis StevensonBut he had no relief from laughter either, for it was the same he had just heard from the Sydney Duck, a sort of hiccup.
Where the Pavement Ends | John RussellLady Tabby Catson died soon after, leaving a handsome legacy to Mr. hiccup, the surgeon.
Bentley's Miscellany, Volume II | VariousHullo, you young vaggybones,” he screeched out with a hiccup; “where be ye off ter now, hey?
On Board the Esmeralda | John Conroy HutchesonShe had meant to be such a good queen, she thought with a little choking hiccup.
The Amazing Inheritance | Frances R. Sterrett
British Dictionary definitions for hiccup
hiccough
/ (ˈhɪkʌp) /
a spasm of the diaphragm producing a sudden breathing in followed by a closing of the glottis, resulting in a sharp sound: Technical name: singultus
the state or condition of having such spasms
informal a minor difficulty or problem
(intr) to make a hiccup or hiccups
(tr) to utter with a hiccup or hiccups
Origin of hiccup
1Collins 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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