What does "hiccup" mean?
A spasm of the diaphragm, or the resulting sound.
Hiccup
/ˈhɪkʌp/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A spasm of the diaphragm, or the resulting sound.
- Grammar: hiccup is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: hiccough, singultus, alternate spelling, aqua lung.
- Useful contrasts: continue smoothly, continuous breathing, normal function.
- Usage evidence: Imagine that you begin to hiccup and can't stop.
How to use "hiccup"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "hiccup" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "hiccup" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "hiccup" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "hiccup" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "hiccup" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "hiccough" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "hiccup", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A spasm of the diaphragm, or the resulting sound.
"There was a loud hiccup from the back of the room and the class erupted in laughter."
- 2 (usually plural) the state of having reflex spasms of the diaphragm accompanied by a rapid closure of the glottis producing an audible sound; sometimes a symptom of indigestion wordnet
- 3 A spasm of the diaphragm, or the resulting sound.; A case of the hiccups; the condition of having the spasms of hiccupping; singultus; diaphragmatic myoclonus.
- 4 Any spasm or sudden change. broadly
"Albert didn't notice the switch, the subliminal flash and hiccup in time as the man he had been talking to only seconds before was catapulted backwards half an hour."
- 5 A minor obstacle or setback. informal
"There's been a slight hiccup in the processing of this quarter's results."
Verb
- 1 To produce a hiccup; have the hiccups. intransitive
- 2 breathe spasmodically, and make a sound wordnet
- 3 To say with a hiccup. transitive
""I haven't touched a drop, officer," the suspect hiccupped."
- 4 To produce an abortive sound like a hiccup. intransitive
"The car engine hiccupped but wouldn't start."
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
continue smoothlycontinuous breathingnormal functionnormal respiration
Example
"Imagine that you begin to hiccup and can't stop."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "hiccup"?
Common synonyms include: hiccough, singultus, alternate spelling, aqua lung, aqua-lung, artificial respiration.
How do you use "hiccup" in a sentence?
Imagine that you begin to hiccup and can't stop.
How do you pronounce "hiccup"?
Pronounced /ˈhɪkʌp/.
Etymology
From earlier hickop, alteration of earlier hicket, hyckock, from hic (onomatopoeic) + -ock (diminutive suffix). Akin to Scots hick, hix (“hiccup”), West Frisian hik (“hiccup”), Dutch hik (“hiccup”), Middle Low German hükup, huckup, hueckup (modern Low German hick (“hiccup”)), German hicksen (“to hiccup”, verb), Alemannic German Hidsgi (“hiccup”), Danish hikke (“hiccup”), Swedish hicka (“hiccup”), hicka (“to hiccup”, verb), Icelandic hiksti (“hiccup”). Displaced yex, from Middle English yexen, ȝisken, ȝixen, ȝoxen (“to hiccup”), from Old English ġiscian, ġeocsian (“to hiccup”).