Ahem (Noun)
Meaning
The utterance of a sound similar to clearing the throat; intended to get attention, express hesitancy, fill a pause, hide embarrassment, warn a friend, etc..
Classification
Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents.
Examples
- I think we're getting a bit off track here, ahem, let's focus on the task at hand.
- He paused and let out a loud ahem, as if trying to clear the awkwardness in the room.
- She said ahem to get her colleague's attention before announcing the bad news.
- He muttered ahem to fill the pause after the boss asked him the question he couldn't answer.
- I've been told, ahem, that you've been slacking off on the job, which I'm sure is not true.