cough
5 ENTRIES FOUND:
coughs;
coughed;
coughing
coughs;
coughed;
coughing
Britannica Dictionary definition of COUGH
[no object]
1
:
to force air through your throat with a short, loud noise often because you are sick
-
She was coughing and sneezing all day.
-
The dust made him cough.
2
:
to make a noise like that of coughing
-
The engine coughed and sputtered and then stopped.
cough up
[phrasal verb]
1
cough up (something)
or
cough (something) up
:
to have (something, such as blood) come up through your throat and out of your mouth when you cough
-
He was coughing up blood.
2
informal
:
to give (something, such as money or information) to someone especially when you do not want to
-
We had to cough up an extra hundred dollars for the car rental.
-
The police made the suspect cough up the names of his accomplices.
3
US, sports
:
to fail to keep or hold (something)
-
The quarterback coughed up [=fumbled] the ball.
-
They coughed up [=lost, gave up] the lead in the second half.
2
cough
/ˈkɑːf/
noun
plural
coughs
2
cough
/ˈkɑːf/
noun
plural
coughs
Britannica Dictionary definition of COUGH
[count]
1
:
a physical condition or illness that causes someone to cough
—
see also whooping cough
-
He has a cough and a cold.
-
They both have bad coughs.
-
He has a terrible smoker's cough. [=a cough caused by smoking]
2
:
an act of coughing or the sound made when someone coughs
-
I heard a cough from the back of the church.
-
He gave a cough [=he coughed] to get my attention.
-
dry/hacking coughs
