hiccup

verb

variants or less commonly hiccough

hiccuped also hiccupped; hiccuping also hiccupping

intransitive verb

: to make a hiccup

also : to be affected with hiccups

Examples of hiccup in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Open Doors hiccups Thomas was one of only a few to get a standalone former restaurant, the former Barrio Taqueria space. —Katelyn Umholtz, Kansas City Star, 2 June 2026

The action is smooth, with the Switch 2 not hiccupping when juggling dozens of small critters. —Will Greenwald, PC Magazine, 19 May 2026

For 20 years, Joey Ramone’s hiccupping croon and Johnny Ramone’s relentless power chords kept on and on for 14 albums and more than 2,000 shows. —Al Shipley, SPIN, 4 May 2026

Now the image is body-cam footage of a puffy-eyed 50-year-old man hiccupping and nodding off in the back of a police car after another DUI arrest. —Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 4 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1580, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for hiccup

• hiccough

Kids Definition

hiccup

1 of 2 noun

hic·​cup

variants also hiccough

ˈhik-(ˌ)əp 

: 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

ˈhik-(ˌ)əp 

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

intractable hiccup … may be successfully treated

—The Journal of the American Medical Association

hiccup

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