hic·cup
ˈhi-(ˌ)kəp 
variants
or less commonly hiccough
1
: a spasmodic inhalation with closure of the glottis accompanied by a peculiar sound
2
: an attack of hiccuping
—usually used in plural but singular or plural in construction
3
a
: a slight irregularity, error, or malfunction
a few hiccups in the computer system
b
: a usually minor and short-lived interruption or disruption, or change
a hiccup in the stock market
variants
or less commonly hiccough
hiccuped also hiccupped; hiccuping also hiccupping
: to make a hiccup
also
: to be affected with hiccups
Synonyms
Examples of hiccup in a Sentence
Noun
Our computer problems were caused by a hiccup in the power supply.
The stock market has continued to rise, except for a slight hiccup earlier this month.
Recent Examples on the Web
Mishita Mehra, Fortune, 23 Apr. 2024
The April 5 letter also shows a hiccup in communication.
—The Arizona Republic, 14 Apr. 2024
February hiccups became March burps and now April represents Pepto-Bismol required indigestion for Georgiev.
—Sean Keeler, The Denver Post, 8 Apr. 2024
The hiccup was startling to investors, considering the sums the company was spending on content, and the stock tumbled.
—Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 7 Mar. 2024
Which is not to say that there haven’t been any hiccups.
—Randy Mason, Kansas City Star, 4 Apr. 2024
That wasn’t the last engagement hiccup the couple would encounter.
—Shania Russell, EW.com, 28 Mar. 2024
The hiccups have left some businesses in financial distress and have hurt efforts to use a $5 billion industry to help small businesses and to repair communities hurt by the war on drugs.
—Ashley Southall, New York Times, 17 Mar. 2024
The Danville school overcame early hiccups at the start of the season to win one of the top divisions at the Damien Classic in Southern California over the holidays and prevail at De La Salle last month to capture the East Bay Athletic League tournament.
—Darren Sabedra, The Mercury News, 9 Mar. 2024
Jayson Greene, Pitchfork, 17 Oct. 2023
Some babies hiccup frequently, even multiple times a day.
—Kimberly Zapata, Parents, 10 Aug. 2023
If your baby starts hiccupping during feeding, wait until the hiccups are gone to continue feeding.5
Treatment
Typical hiccups that last for less than 48 hours are medically termed acute hiccups.
—Jessica Migala, Health, 6 Aug. 2023
The batteries were also crucial to keeping the power on when a nuclear plant hiccuped and went offline earlier in the week, said Doug Lewin, a Texas energy consultant.
—Evan Halper, Washington Post, 24 June 2023
The voice hiccupped, almost as if the man were struggling.
—IEEE Spectrum, 15 Apr. 2023
There’s a good movie to be made about podcasts that traffic in unsolved mysteries where hosts rank cliffhangers and that hiccuping dramatic cadence over journalism.
—Amy Nicholson, Variety, 17 Mar. 2023
The model and television personality, 37, posted a sweet video of her 1-month-old daughter looking cozy on top of a gray blanket with a white bib, lightly hiccuping as she was being fed milk.
—Kimberlee Speakman, Peoplemag, 18 Feb. 2023
Often when someone starts to hiccup, a debate begins among everyone nearby over which home remedy is the true cure.
—Madeline Holcombe, CNN, 4 Feb. 2022
Noun
Two years after the U.S. passed legislation providing $280 billion over the next decade to spur the development of its semiconductors industry, such delays represent significant hiccups in America’s plan to boost our ability to build advanced computer chips.
—Mishita Mehra, Fortune, 23 Apr. 2024
The April 5 letter also shows a hiccup in communication.
—The Arizona Republic, 14 Apr. 2024
February hiccups became March burps and now April represents Pepto-Bismol required indigestion for Georgiev.
—Sean Keeler, The Denver Post, 8 Apr. 2024
The hiccup was startling to investors, considering the sums the company was spending on content, and the stock tumbled.
—Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 7 Mar. 2024
Which is not to say that there haven’t been any hiccups.
—Randy Mason, Kansas City Star, 4 Apr. 2024
That wasn’t the last engagement hiccup the couple would encounter.
—Shania Russell, EW.com, 28 Mar. 2024
The hiccups have left some businesses in financial distress and have hurt efforts to use a $5 billion industry to help small businesses and to repair communities hurt by the war on drugs.
—Ashley Southall, New York Times, 17 Mar. 2024
The Danville school overcame early hiccups at the start of the season to win one of the top divisions at the Damien Classic in Southern California over the holidays and prevail at De La Salle last month to capture the East Bay Athletic League tournament.
—Darren Sabedra, The Mercury News, 9 Mar. 2024
Verb
Sometimes the music seems to hiccup into silence, as if nitrogen bubbles flowed through its bloodstream.
—Jayson Greene, Pitchfork, 17 Oct. 2023
Some babies hiccup frequently, even multiple times a day.
—Kimberly Zapata, Parents, 10 Aug. 2023
If your baby starts hiccupping during feeding, wait until the hiccups are gone to continue feeding.5
Treatment
Typical hiccups that last for less than 48 hours are medically termed acute hiccups.
—Jessica Migala, Health, 6 Aug. 2023
The batteries were also crucial to keeping the power on when a nuclear plant hiccuped and went offline earlier in the week, said Doug Lewin, a Texas energy consultant.
—Evan Halper, Washington Post, 24 June 2023
The voice hiccupped, almost as if the man were struggling.
—IEEE Spectrum, 15 Apr. 2023
There’s a good movie to be made about podcasts that traffic in unsolved mysteries where hosts rank cliffhangers and that hiccuping dramatic cadence over journalism.
—Amy Nicholson, Variety, 17 Mar. 2023
The model and television personality, 37, posted a sweet video of her 1-month-old daughter looking cozy on top of a gray blanket with a white bib, lightly hiccuping as she was being fed milk.
—Kimberlee Speakman, Peoplemag, 18 Feb. 2023
Often when someone starts to hiccup, a debate begins among everyone nearby over which home remedy is the true cure.
—Madeline Holcombe, CNN, 4 Feb. 2022
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hiccup.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Dictionary Entries Near hiccup
Cite this Entry
“Hiccup.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hiccup. Accessed 3 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
hiccup
1 of 2 noun
hic·cup
variants
also hiccough
: a sudden drawing in of breath that is followed and stopped by sudden closure of the glottis and accompanied by a gulping sound
hiccup
2 of 2 verb
variants
also hiccough
hiccuped also hiccupped; hiccuping also hiccupping
: to make a hiccup or be affected with hiccups
Medical Definition
hiccup
1 of 2 noun
hic·cup
variants
also hiccough
1
: a spasmodic inhalation with closure of the glottis accompanied by a peculiar sound
2
: an attack of hiccuping
—usually used in plural but singular or plural in construction
severe hiccups is sometimes seen after operation—Lancet
Lancetintractable hiccup … may be successfully treated—Journal of the American Medical Association
Journal of the American Medical Associationhiccup
2 of 2 intransitive verb
variants
also hiccough
hiccuped also hiccupped or hiccoughed; hiccuping also hiccupping or hiccoughing
: to make a hiccup
also
: to be affected with hiccups
hiccuper
noun
also hiccougher
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