ahem
interjection
a throat-clearing sound; often read as
ə-ˈhem 
—used especially to attract attention or to express disapproval or embarrassment
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web Cozy main dishes like roast turkey or chicken, creamy pastas and other starchy mains (ahem, risotto), higher-fat seafoods, and hard cheeses. 
Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 Aug. 2022 The experts who track everything COVID are piecing together a picture of why this subvariant has, ahem, gone viral. Karen Kaplanscience And Medicine Editor, Los Angeles Times, 12 July 2022 Plus, unlike the faked-3D Build-engine stuff of Duke Nukem 3D, this build of Duke Nukem Forever also includes robust explosion effects, and these are (ahem) a blast to trigger. Sam Machkovech, Ars Technica, 12 May 2022 Cleveland Metroparks Zoo announced plans on Thursday for a new habitat called Bear Hollow, which will provide, ahem, the bare necessities and more for its menagerie of tropical bears. cleveland, 16 June 2022 The weather for Thunder Over Louisville looks to be, ahem, dynamite. Rae Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 19 Apr. 2022 The New York Flipper’s, designed by Alexandre de Betak, a fashion show producer, will be the first to, ahem, roll out. New York Times, 15 Mar. 2022 For the record, the team most likely to emerge on that bracket line for the next round should New Mexico State advance would be, ahem, No. 1 overall seed Gonzaga. Erik Brady, USA TODAY, 19 Mar. 2022 But, unlike a governor say, ahem, in Texas, Newsom didn’t advocate for more oil drilling to bring down the pump price. Joe Garofoli, San Francisco Chronicle, 8 Mar. 2022 See More
Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 Aug. 2022 The experts who track everything COVID are piecing together a picture of why this subvariant has, ahem, gone viral. Karen Kaplanscience And Medicine Editor, Los Angeles Times, 12 July 2022 Plus, unlike the faked-3D Build-engine stuff of Duke Nukem 3D, this build of Duke Nukem Forever also includes robust explosion effects, and these are (ahem) a blast to trigger. Sam Machkovech, Ars Technica, 12 May 2022 Cleveland Metroparks Zoo announced plans on Thursday for a new habitat called Bear Hollow, which will provide, ahem, the bare necessities and more for its menagerie of tropical bears. cleveland, 16 June 2022 The weather for Thunder Over Louisville looks to be, ahem, dynamite. Rae Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 19 Apr. 2022 The New York Flipper’s, designed by Alexandre de Betak, a fashion show producer, will be the first to, ahem, roll out. New York Times, 15 Mar. 2022 For the record, the team most likely to emerge on that bracket line for the next round should New Mexico State advance would be, ahem, No. 1 overall seed Gonzaga. Erik Brady, USA TODAY, 19 Mar. 2022 But, unlike a governor say, ahem, in Texas, Newsom didn’t advocate for more oil drilling to bring down the pump price. Joe Garofoli, San Francisco Chronicle, 8 Mar. 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
imitative
First Known Use
1603, in the meaning defined above