Heimlich maneuver

noun

Heim·​lich maneuver ˈhīm-lik- 

: the manual application of sudden upward pressure on the upper abdomen of a choking victim to force a foreign object from the trachea

Examples of Heimlich maneuver in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Williams previously discussed the Heimlich maneuver's Happy Days connection in an interview with the Jeff Dwoskin's Classic Conversations podcast in 2022. —Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Jan. 2026

That’s when Hodge, who isn’t Dalton’s teacher, did the Heimlich maneuver. —Brian Anthony Hernandez, PEOPLE, 24 Jan. 2026

One of my direct reports did the Heimlich maneuver and helped loosen it, and then one of the guys from another department joined in to keep the tomato moving. —Judith Martin, Mercury News, 17 Jan. 2026

Michael Gingras, a 15-year-old sophomore at Victor J. Andrew High School in Tinley Park, learned the Heimlich maneuver a year ago during a brief lesson in gym class. —Evy Lewis, Chicago Tribune, 1 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Henry J. Heimlich †2016 American surgeon

First Known Use

1974, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for Heimlich maneuver

• approver
• improver
• remover
• louver
• mover

Kids Definition

Heimlich maneuver

noun

Heim·​lich maneuver ˈhīm-lik- 

: a method for forcing an object out the airway of a choking person that involves standing behind the person with arms wrapped about the person's waist and applying sudden upward pressure with the fist to the area directly above the navel

Etymology

named after Henry J. Heimlich, an American surgeon born in 1920

Medical Definition

Heimlich maneuver

noun

Heim·​lich maneuver

ˈhīm-lik-

: the manual application of sudden upward pressure on the upper abdomen of a choking victim to force a foreign object from the trachea