hiccup
noun /ˈhɪkʌp/
/ˈhɪkʌp/
(also hiccough)
- [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
- give
- let out
- (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
- [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
- …
- hiccup in
Word Originlate 16th cent.: imitative; the form hiccough arose by association with cough.