noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   A fit of gasping or convulsive breathing. obsolete
2. 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. 3
   A sob; a speech broken by sobs. obsolete
4. 4
   The hiccups; diaphragmatic myoclonus. uncountable

Synonyms

All synonyms

hiccoughhiccuphiccup

Etymology

From early 15th century. Learned borrowing from Latin singultus, of unknown origin.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.