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Synonyms

cough

American  
[kawf, kof] / kɔf, kɒf /

verb (used without object)

  1. to expel air from the lungs suddenly with a harsh noise, often involuntarily.

  2. (of an internal-combustion engine) to make a similar noise as a result of the failure of one or more cylinders to fire in sequence.

  3. to make a similar sound, as a machine gun firing in spurts.

verb (used with object)

  1. to expel by coughing (usually followed by up orout ).

    to cough up phlegm.

noun

  1. the act or sound of coughing.

  2. an illness characterized by frequent coughing.

  3. a sound similar to a cough, a machine gun, or an engine firing improperly.

verb phrase

  1. cough up

    1. to relinquish, especially reluctantly; contribute; give.

    2. to blurt out; state, as by way of making a confession.

      After several hours of vigorous questioning by the police, he finally coughed up the information.
cough British  
/ kɒf /

verb

  1. (intr) to expel air or solid matter from the lungs abruptly and explosively through the partially closed vocal chords

  2. (intr) to make a sound similar to this

  3. (tr) to utter or express with a cough or coughs

  4. slang (intr) to confess to a crime

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. an act, instance, or sound of coughing

  2. a condition of the lungs or throat that causes frequent coughing

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
cough Scientific  
/ kôf,kŏf /

  1. The act of expelling air from the lungs suddenly and noisily, often to keep the respiratory passages free of irritating material.

Other Word Forms

  • cougher noun

Etymology

Origin of cough

1275–1325; Middle English coghen, apparently < Old English *cohhian (compare its derivative cohhettan to cough); akin to Dutch kuchen to cough, German keuchen to wheeze

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

My mom thumped me on the back as I leaned forward to cough up a lung into my napkin.

From Literature

Each of the past three times it has dropped points, the draw or defeat came after coughing up a lead.

From The Wall Street Journal

There was no protection from common childhood illnesses like tuberculosis, rheumatic fever, diphtheria, or whooping cough.

From Literature

Just before stepping out of the bushes, I coughed to let them know I was coming.

From Literature

Gran said she was fevered and coughing and I came before I was supposed to.

From Literature

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.