Word.ws English Dictionary

How to use hiccup in a sentence

18 example sentences · noun, verb

Hiccup means a spasm of the diaphragm, or the resulting sound. Example: “There was a loud hiccup from the back of the room and the class erupted in laughter.”

Examples of hiccup by meaning

nounA spasm of the diaphragm, or the resulting sound.

  • There was a loud hiccup from the back of the room and the class erupted in laughter.

nounAny spasm or sudden change.

  • Albert didn't notice the switch, the subliminal flash and hiccup in time as the man he had been talking to only seconds before was catapulted backwards half an hour.2010, Oli Smith, Nuclear Time, page 197

nounA minor obstacle or setback.

  • There's been a slight hiccup in the processing of this quarter's results.

verbTo say with a hiccup.

  • "I haven't touched a drop, officer," the suspect hiccupped.

verbTo produce an abortive sound like a hiccup.

  • The car engine hiccupped but wouldn't start.

More sentences with hiccup

  • There were several loud hiccups from the back of the room, and the class erupted in laughter.From the entry hiccups
  • He has the hiccups – give him a glass of water.From the entry hiccups
  • The diaphragmatic spasm of his hiccup caused his epiglottis to painfully stopper his windpipe with a loud "hic".From the entry stopper
  • Try this infallible cure for hiccups.From the entry infallible
  • You never said much about him to me,” Cian hiccupped accusingly.2016, Roger Higgins, Billy Gogan, American. From the entry gammon and pickles
  • She has learned about me, and how I respond to its quirks—like a river flowing with hiccups.2013, Bruce R. Swinburne, Stem: Cells That Divide, page 271. From the entry herky-jerky
  • Greebo, hiccuping occasionally, oozed into his accustomed place among the bristles of Nanny’s broomstick.2002, Terry Pratchett, Witches Abroad, page 97. From the entry broomstick
  • At this the farmer gets to breathing funnier, hiccuping, little stray burps roll out—uncontrolled, we’re talking here.1989 fall, Allan Gurganus, “A Hog Loves Its Life”, in Gordon Lish, editor, The Quarterly, number 11, New York, N.Y.: Vintage Books, →ISBN…. From the entry funny
  • There is a hiccup, though, in this world-beating record.2008 June 25, Blaine Harden, “In Energy-Stingy Japan, an Extravagant Indulgence: Posh Privies”, in The Washington Post. From the entry ultracomfy
  • I've got the hiccups something terrible, Mom.1988 November 16, Bill Watterson, Calvin & Hobbes. From the entry something terrible
  • Frith gave a very loud hiccup and waved her arms and did not even say “beg pardon” for the offensive noise.1913, Compton Mackenzie, Youth's Encounter, Bell & Cockburn. From the entry all Sir Garnet
  • Thus, you hear words like "flatline recession," "improvement at a greatly reduced rate," "economic hiccup," "recessionette," "rolling readjustment" and "the economy is double clutching."1967 June 17, “Business Outlook”, in Business Week, part 6, page 23. From the entry flatline
  • Of course, vibe coding isn't perfect, but picking the right tool will help iron out many potential hiccups - whether that be security concerns or limited budgets.2026 February 10, Ritoban Mukherjee, Owain Williams, “10 best vibe coding tools of 2026”, in Techradar, archived from the original on 17…. From the entry vibe coding

Meaning of hiccup

  1. noun A spasm of the diaphragm, or the resulting sound.
  2. noun A case of the hiccups; the condition of having the spasms of hiccupping; singultus; diaphragmatic myoclonus.
  3. noun Any spasm or sudden change.

Full definition of hiccup

Questions about hiccup in a sentence

How do you use hiccup in a sentence?
Hiccup is used as a noun and verb. For example: “There was a loud hiccup from the back of the room and the class erupted in laughter.”
What is a short sentence with hiccup?
“Try this infallible cure for hiccups.”
What does hiccup mean?
Hiccup means a spasm of the diaphragm, or the resulting sound.

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: hiccup (page history and authors) and the entries each sentence comes from. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws chose the sentences, left out offensive ones and quotations older than 1900, and marked the word in each. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this page: “How to use hiccup in a sentence.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/sentences/hiccup. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.