hiccup

American  

[hik-uhp, -uhp] / ˈhɪk ʌp, -əp /

Or hic-cough

noun

• hiccups
  plural

1. 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.

2. Usually hiccups. the condition of having such spasms.

   She got the hiccups just as she began to speak.

3. Informal. a minor difficulty, interruption, setback, etc..

   a hiccup in the stock market.

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verb (used without object)

hiccuped, hiccupped, hiccuping, hiccupping

1. to make the sound of a hiccup.

   The motor hiccuped as it started.

2. to have the hiccups.

3. Informal. to experience a temporary decline, setback, interruption, etc..

   There was general alarm when the economy hiccuped.

hiccup British  

/ ˈhɪkʌp /

noun

1. Technical name: singultus. a spasm of the diaphragm producing a sudden breathing in followed by a closing of the glottis, resulting in a sharp sound

2. the state or condition of having such spasms

3. informal a minor difficulty or problem

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verb

1. (intr) to make a hiccup or hiccups

2. (tr) to utter with a hiccup or hiccups

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• hiccups
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of hiccup

1570–80; alteration of hocket, hickock, equivalent to hic + -ock; akin to Low German hick hiccup; see hocket

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Explanation

A hiccup is a jerky, repeated contraction in your diaphragm — it's a sort of involuntary tic you can feel in your throat and chest. People who have hiccups usually make a "hic" sound. Hiccups are a kind of spasm that can be brief or linger frustratingly. One man famously suffered from hiccups for 68 years — for that whole time, not a single folk remedy (doing a headstand, drinking water fast, being scared by someone, and so on) worked to relieve them. The word hiccup is imitative of the sound of hiccups. An Old English word for it was ælfsogoða, "elf heartburn," since hiccups were thought to be caused by elves.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hiccup hiccups hiccuped hiccuping hiccupped hiccupping

But there was a last-minute hiccup: Some members of the coalition felt the deal fell considerably short of what they had been seeking.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2026

Over longer horizons, however, the S&P 500 on average barely suffers a hiccup because of first hikes.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 3, 2026

The artificial-intelligence boom could see a hiccup, along with the torrent of capital spending that has kept deals flowing.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026

Ford stock had been on track for its best month in years before the recent hiccup.

From Barron's ● May 18, 2026

A little hiccup of excitement leaped in her chest.

From "The Golden Compass" by Philip Pullman

Here are some common last-minute election-day hiccups and how to navigate them so you can earn your “I voted” sticker on Tuesday.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026

Now Bob Chesney and the Bruins ask for patience as they work through their early hiccups.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026

“Even though there’s been hiccups, brands can’t afford to not test and learn here,” said Spencer Lian-Thornton, a vice president at marketing firm Mindgruve.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026

Booking.com and sister brands like Priceline, Kayak and OpenTable are pouring hundreds of millions into AI tools to smooth out travel hiccups.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

Seeing Doreen supported in my arms and silent except for a few wet hiccups, the woman strode away down the hall to her cubicle with its ancient Singer sewing machine and white ironing board.

From "The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath

The pangrams from yesterday’s Spelling Bee were hiccuped and hiccupped.

From New York Times ● Feb. 15, 2023

In one July 8 clip, Bolsonaro hiccuped approximately 14 times within the first minute.

From Washington Post ● Jul. 14, 2021

Even as Europe, particularly Greece, has struggled, the U.S. market has barely hiccuped.

From US News ● Nov. 6, 2015

But when Wilder's routine hiccuped regularly in the 1960s, he lost that explosive snap in his barbed approach.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 20, 2015

Juanita sniffed and hiccuped as she tried in vain to stop herself from bawling.

From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall

Then the chuckle caught in her throat and turned into a quiet, hiccuping sob.

From Salon ● Oct. 25, 2026

The 15-time major winner, 50, can be seen co-operating with authorities and then hiccuping while he is being driven away in the back of the police car.

From BBC ● Apr. 2, 2026

The hiccuping ultimately "escalated to…a good deal of hiccup-induced puking," he said.

From Fox News ● Dec. 11, 2021

In the many recent presidential live streams, Bolsonaro’s hiccuping is evident, and he has prefaced some appearances by acknowledging his hiccupping and disrupted speech.

From Washington Post ● Jul. 14, 2021

I would speak, or try to speak, Spanish, and I would manage to utter halting, hiccuping sounds that betrayed my unease.

From "Hunger of Memory" by Richard Rodriguez

"The smallest things upset me. The other day I jumped when a woman in the street hiccupped as she walked past me."

From Fox News ● Dec. 5, 2019

Celeste hiccupped or burped and it turned into a small retch, but nothing came up.

From The New Yorker ● Apr. 22, 2019

I longed for a phrase that simply grew, one note to the next, like a singer; instead the lines hiccupped or gasped, the vibrato intermittent or delayed.

From Washington Post ● Nov. 12, 2017

The technicians are searching this layout for "events," or instances where Holloway's breathing, heart rate or brain waves hiccupped.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 26, 2011

Screamed and hiccupped and laughed like my sisters.

From "One Crazy Summer" by Rita Williams-Garcia

“I still write too many of her patented hiccupping, chicken-bone sentences,” said the L.A.-based writer and founder of Boyle Heights’ Libros Schmibros.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 24, 2021

His hiccupping went on for hours, and finally ended late that afternoon when their car broke down on the way to their honeymoon destination.

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 24, 2021

Lincoln was hiccupping a lot in the third trimester.

From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2021

In the many recent presidential live streams, Bolsonaro’s hiccuping is evident, and he has prefaced some appearances by acknowledging his hiccupping and disrupted speech.

From Washington Post ● Jul. 14, 2021

The volcano, she knew, was hiccupping in its sleep.

From "The Girl Who Drank the Moon" by Kelly Barnhill

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