Cough

Quick meaning: Cough is a verb meaning To cause (oneself or something) to be in a certain condition in the manner described in etymology 1 sense 1.1.

Meaning

To cause (oneself or something) to be in a certain condition in the manner described in etymology 1 sense 1.1.

More Meanings

1. To express (words, etc.) in the manner described in etymology 1 sense 1.1.
2. To surrender (information); to confess.
3. Chiefly followed by up: to give up or hand over (something); especially, to pay up (money).
4. To make a noise like a cough.
5. To surrender information; to confess, to spill the beans.
6. Sometimes followed by up: to force (something) out of the lungs or throat by pushing air from the lungs through the glottis (causing a short, explosive sound), and out through the mouth.
7. To push air from the lungs through the glottis (causing a short, explosive sound) and out through the mouth, usually to expel something blocking or irritating the airway.

Example Sentences

Sometimes she coughed up blood.

He almost coughed himself into a fit.

I breathed in a lungful of smoke by mistake, and started to cough.

Thanks to Jeeves I was not going to be called on to cough up several thousand quid.

Word Forms

• coughs
• coughing
• coughed
• coughest
• coughedst
• cougheth

Synonyms for cough

Depending on context, synonyms include coughing.

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include pertussis, hum, cold, spit, suppressant, dickey.

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