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Definition of hiccup noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

hiccup

noun
 
/ˈhɪkʌp/
 
/ˈhɪkʌp/
(also hiccough)
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  1. [countable] a sharp, usually repeated, sound made in the throat, that is caused by a sudden movement of the diaphragm and that you cannot control
    • She gave a loud hiccup.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • small
    • loud
    verb + hiccup
    • give
    • let out
    See full entry
  2. (the) hiccups
    [plural] a series of hiccups
    • I ate too quickly and got hiccups.
    • He had the hiccups.
    • He suddenly had an attack of the hiccups.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverb + hiccups
    • get
    • have
    See full entry
  3. [countable] hiccup (in something) (informal) a small problem or temporary delay
    • There was a slight hiccup in the timetable.
    • We’ve planned it down to the last detail—we don’t want any unexpected hiccups.
    Extra Examples
    • This one defeat was the only hiccup in the team's steady progress up the League.
    • Apart from the occasional hiccup, things ran pretty well.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • little
    • minor
    • slight
    preposition
    • hiccup in
    See full entry
  4. Word Originlate 16th cent.: imitative; the form hiccough arose by association with cough.
See hiccup in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary

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