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.

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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

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noun

1. an act, instance, or sound of coughing

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

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.

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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

Explanation

A cough is a reflex in which your throat or lungs are cleared by a sudden, sharp burst of air escaping. A bad cough can make it very hard to sleep at night. A cough is evidence that someone's sick, and it's a verb as well: "She began to cough and couldn't stop until someone brought her a bottle of water." You can also describe a cough-like sound that an engine makes when it's not working properly as a cough. The Old English source of cough is coughen, from a Germanic root — every version of the word is imitative, the word itself sounding like a cough.

Example Sentences

“Every dollar unlawfully taken must be refunded immediately — with interest. Cough up!”

From Salon • Feb. 24, 2026

"Every dollar unlawfully taken must be refunded immediately — with interest. Cough up!"

From Barron's • Feb. 20, 2026

Cough medicines often also advertise that they contain certain "active ingredients".

From BBC • Dec. 3, 2025

They were mostly young Black and brown kids wearing some combination of Chiefin Heavily, That’s An Awful Lot of Cough Syrup and earlier runs of Drakeo merch.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 25, 2025

In Consequence of this the Oppression, the Cough, the Anguish, and Fever return, and the Patient's Situation becomes very dangerous.

From Advice to the people in general, with regard to their health by Tissot, S. A. D. (Samuel Auguste David)

Related Words

• bark
• choke
• hack
• vomit
• whoop