ahem C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities US /əˈhɛm/ See IPA manual Freq #4731 Meanings 1 verb To cough or clear one's throat so as to draw attention. He wouldn't have been suspected of crying for the world, but he coughed and ahemmed, and finally turned away without speaking. 2 noun the utterance of a sound similar to clearing the throat Thesaurus Synonyms 2 noun · the utterance of a sound... hem Etymology Onomatopoeic. Topics Describing Qualities External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # ahem **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** verb, noun **IPA (US):** /əˈhɛm/ **Frequency rank:** 4731 ## Meanings 1. To cough or clear one's throat so as to draw attention. 2. the utterance of a sound similar to clearing the throat ## Examples - He wouldn't have been suspected of crying for the world, but he coughed and ahemmed, and finally turned away without speaking. ## Etymology Onomatopoeic. ## Topics - Describing Qualities markdown