hiccup

hiccup — noun

1. a short, unintended sound produced in the throat when the diaphragm tightens wit

1.nounA2
Definition

a short, unintended sound produced in the throat when the diaphragm tightens without warning

Example

Stefan let out a loud hiccup during the quiet library exam.

countable: let out a hiccup

A sudden hiccup caught Adina by surprise as she was drinking water.

Common collocations
  • let out a hiccup
  • a sudden hiccup
  • hold back a hiccup

2. a period during which a person repeatedly makes hiccup sounds that they cannot c

2.nounA2
Definition

a period during which a person repeatedly makes hiccup sounds that they cannot control

Example

Daichi had a bad case of hiccups that lasted nearly an hour.

collocation: a case of hiccups

Drinking cold water sometimes helps Hoa get rid of her hiccups.

collocation: get rid of hiccups

Common collocations
  • a case of hiccups
  • get rid of hiccups
  • have the hiccups
  • hiccups stop

Usage Note

Often used in the plural form 'the hiccups' to refer to the condition, e.g. 'I have the hiccups.'

3. a small and short-lived problem that briefly delays or interrupts an activity wi

3.nounB1
Definition

a small and short-lived problem that briefly delays or interrupts an activity without causing major harm

Example

There was a brief technical hiccup during the live television broadcast.

collocation: technical hiccup

Dahlia's team faced a minor hiccup when the supplier shipped the wrong parts.

Common collocations
  • technical hiccup
  • minor hiccup
  • early hiccups
  • scheduling hiccup
  • the only hiccup
Synonyms
  • glitch

    more common for technical or electronic failures; slightly more informal

  • snag

    suggests a hidden or unexpected problem that needs fixing

  • setback

    implies a more serious or longer-lasting delay than hiccup

Antonyms

Usage Note

Common in business and technical contexts to describe minor, recoverable setbacks. A hiccup is never a catastrophic failure — if the problem is serious, use 'setback' or 'crisis' instead.

Common Mistakes

The project had a serious hiccup that cost us a million dollars.
The project had a minor hiccup that delayed us by a day.
A hiccup is a small, temporary problem, not a major failure.

hiccup — verb

Word family

  • hiccupping
    nounB2
  • hiccupy
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/3

All four words refer to a problem or obstacle, but they differ in seriousness and typical context. 'Hiccup' (the figurative sense) is the mildest — it suggests a brief, recoverable problem that causes little real trouble, like a delayed package or a frozen screen that fixes itself. 'Glitch' overlaps with hiccup but is almost exclusively used for technology: a software glitch, a video glitch. 'Snag' implies an unexpected obstruction that needs to be solved before progress can resume, often in planning or construction ('a snag in the contract'). 'Setback' is the strongest — it means a significant delay or defeat that pushes back progress noticeably, such as losing a major client or failing a key exam. Choose 'hiccup' when you want to reassure someone that the issue is small and temporary: 'Don't worry, it's just a hiccup.'

glitch ↗snagsetback ↗hiccup ↗

Common collocations

Adverbs

Etymology

English

The word 'hiccup' comes from the sound it describes — it is onomatopoeic, meaning the word imitates the noise made when the diaphragm contracts. First recorded in English in the late 1500s, it was originally spelled 'hickop' or 'hickock', and over time the spelling shifted to 'hiccup'. The alternative spelling 'hiccough' appeared later because people thought the word was related to 'cough', though it is not.