hiccup

hiccup
[[t]hɪ̱kʌp[/t]]
hiccups, hiccuping, hiccupping (present participle), hiccuped, hiccupped (past tense & past participle)
1) N-COUNT: usu with supp, oft n N, N in n You can refer to a small problem or difficulty as a hiccup, especially if it does not last very long or is easily put right.

A recent sales hiccup is nothing to panic about...

Despite the occasional hiccup, the US and Laos have had quite cordial relations.

Syn:
gltich
2) N-UNCOUNT: also the N When you have hiccups, you make repeated sharp sounds in your throat, often because you have been eating or drinking too quickly.

A young baby may frequently get a bout of hiccups during or soon after a feed.

3) N-COUNT A hiccup is a sound of the kind that you make when you have hiccups.
4) VERB When you hiccup, you make repeated sharp sounds in your throat.

She was still hiccuping from the egg she had swallowed whole.


English dictionary. 2008.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • hiccup — (also hiccough (pronounced same)) ► NOUN 1) an involuntary spasm of the diaphragm and respiratory organs, with a sudden closure of the glottis and a characteristic gulping sound. 2) a minor difficulty or setback. ► VERB (hiccuped, hiccuping) ▪… …   English terms dictionary

  • hiccup — [hik′up΄, hik′əp] n. [altered < Early ModE hikop, hickock, hicket, of echoic orig. (as also in MDu huckup): var. sp. from assoc. with COUGH] 1. a sudden, involuntary contraction of the diaphragm when it begins to allow air into the lungs only… …   English World dictionary

  • hiccup — has inflected forms hiccuped, hiccuping. The spelling hiccough, formed by false association with cough, has nothing to recommend it …   Modern English usage

  • Hiccup — For the Canadian comedy, see Hiccups (TV series). Singultus ICD 10 R06.6 ICD 9 786.8 DiseasesDB …   Wikipedia

  • hiccup — I = hiccough hiccup UK [ˈhɪkʌp] / US [ˈhɪˌkʌp] or hiccough UK / US noun [countable] Word forms hiccup : singular hiccup plural hiccups Word forms hiccough : singular hiccough plural hiccoughs 1) a short repeated sound that you make in your throat …   English dictionary

  • Hiccup — A hiccup is an extraordinary type of respiratory movement involving a sudden inspiration (intake of air) due to an involuntary contraction of the diaphragm accompanied by closure of the glottis (the vocal apparatus of the larynx). The abrupt… …   Medical dictionary

  • hiccup — (also hiccough) noun 1 sound made in the throat ADJECTIVE ▪ small ▪ loud VERB + HICCUP ▪ give, let out ▪ She gave a l …   Collocations dictionary

  • hiccup — {{11}}hiccup (n.) 1570s, hickop, earlier hicket, hyckock, a word meant to imitate the sound produced by the convulsion of the diaphragm [Abram Smythe Farmer, Folk Etymology, London, 1882]. Cf. Fr. hoquet, Dan. hikke, etc. Modern spelling first… …   Etymology dictionary

  • hiccup — /hik up, euhp/, n., v., hiccuped or hiccupped, hiccuping or hiccupping. n. 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.… …   Universalium

  • Hiccup — A slang term for a short term disruption within a longer term plan, goal, or trend. A hiccup can be used to describe the business actions of a particular company, a stock price downturn, or the stock market as a whole. Generally, a hiccup is not… …   Investment dictionary

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