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

“It’s just kind of a hiccup along the way to what’s been a pretty long AI infrastructure spending cycle that’s likely to continue,” said Michael Arone, chief investment strategist at State Street Investment Management.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026

This isn’t its first hiccup in recent months.

From Barron's ● May 28, 2026

It was followed by a familiar hiccup, and I knew right away what it was.

From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan

The fundraising hiccups come as OpenAI prepares to go public as soon as early next year, and amid a brutal tech selloff tied to disappointing earnings results from giants including Google, Amazon and Intel.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 31, 2026

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

For all its little hiccups, “Carrie” does make one feel sad maybe 80% of the time, and anxious the rest of it, which is to say it does its job.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026

Despite the hiccups, Monday’s mission should let SpaceX begin to recoup some of the $15 billion-plus it has spent on the rocket.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 28, 2026

My hiccups came with increasing speed and volume.

From "The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams" by Daniel Nayeri

Both division rivals were heavy favorites Sunday and neither hiccuped.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 12, 2021

Aníbal Sánchez finally hiccuped in the fifth, a long solo home run from Max Muncy which splashed down deep in the right-center field bleachers, but he’d delivered as much as the Nationals could have hoped.

From Washington Post ● Oct. 6, 2019

The patient with the longest recorded case, according to Guinness World Records, was Charles Osborne of Anthon, Iowa, who hiccuped for 68 years straight.

From New York Times ● Aug. 15, 2019

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

From US News ● Nov. 6, 2015

Judy hiccuped as she tried not to laugh.

From "The Lions of Little Rock" by Kristin Levine

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

Within seconds, I’m crying, sweating and hiccuping — simultaneously.”

From Washington Post ● Mar. 3, 2022

Every few seconds, the actor could he heard hiccuping between words as he talked to the camera.

From Fox News ● Dec. 11, 2021

“What are we going to do, though?” said Hermione finally, hiccuping herself back to seriousness.

From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling

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

From New York Times ● Feb. 15, 2023

"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

He hiccupped in late April, allowing three runs in two innings, but the Nationals had seen what they needed to.

From Washington Post ● Sep. 4, 2019

Just as notable is the fact that Future Brown sought out women like Shawnna, 3D Na’Tee, and Maluca, whose careers have hiccupped, often through little fault of their own.

From The New Yorker ● Mar. 23, 2015

The radio hiccupped into a jingle for Forever Young Jeans’.

From "Beauty Queens" by Libba Bray

“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

Tucker had a squeaky laugh that sounded as if he were hiccupping.

From "The Cricket in Times Square" by George Selden

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