cough

[ kawf, kof ]

/ kɔf, kɒf /

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See synonyms for: cough / coughing on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object)

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

(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.

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

verb (used with object)

to expel by coughing (usually followed by up or out): to cough up phlegm.

noun

the act or sound of coughing.

an illness characterized by frequent coughing.

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

Verb Phrases

cough up, Slang.

to relinquish, especially reluctantly; contribute; give.
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.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

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

OTHER WORDS FROM cough

cougher, noun

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH cough

cough , cuff, koph

Words nearby cough

Couéism, Couette flow, cougan, cougar, cougar bait, cough, cough drop, Coughlin, cough mixture, cough syrup, cough up

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use cough in a sentence

Coronaviruses like SARS and MERS tend to infect deep in the lungs, so the new coronavirus is probably spread mainly by people with symptoms, such as a cough, or during such medical procedures as being intubated.
Here’s what we’ve learned in six months of COVID-19 — and what we still don’t know|Erin Garcia de Jesus|June 30, 2020|Science News
Wearing any face covering, including bandanas or neck warmers, could at least partially block the cloud of droplets released in a cough, the experiment showed.
Why scientists say wearing masks shouldn’t be controversial|Tina Hesman Saey|June 26, 2020|Science News
Two days before the ceremony the bride’s 58-year-old father, who had traveled from Spain, felt feverish and developed a runny nose and cough.
COVID-19 case clusters offer lessons and warnings for reopening|Helen Thompson|June 18, 2020|Science News
Michalak says that previous audiological research has revealed differences between sick and healthy coughs, but the human ear may not be able to distinguish them.
No, you can’t hear the difference between sick and healthy coughs|Jonathan Lambert|June 9, 2020|Science News

Indirect contact might occur when an infected person uses their hand to cover a cough or a sneeze, then touches an object.
Six foot social-distancing will not always be enough for COVID-19|Tina Hesman Saey|April 23, 2020|Science News For Students
Some cough up preposterous jury awards, while others lay bare the egregious failures of the criminal justice system.
How One Lawsuit Shows What’s Wrong With America|James Poulos|October 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Will went on to say doctors believe a “sneeze or some cough” can spread Ebola.
Fact-Checking the Sunday Shows: October 19|PunditFact.com|October 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It can spread through a sneeze, cough, sharing a beverage or speaking up close with someone who has the disease.
Fact-Checking the Sunday Shows: October 19|PunditFact.com|October 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Brosseau said her views had nothing to do with Ebola spreading among the public at large through a sneeze or cough.
Fact-Checking the Sunday Shows: October 19|PunditFact.com|October 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Get a flu shot, wash your hands, and cover your mouth when you cough.
Parents’ Ebola Panic Is Taking Over My Clinic|Russell Saunders|October 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
When the quantity is very small there may be no cough, the sputum reaching the larynx by action of the bronchial cilia.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
It is certain that I then had a bad cough nearly always; and this I am sure was what decided the form of his parting gift to me.
Fifty Years of Railway Life in England, Scotland and Ireland|Joseph Tatlow
They then cough it up and use this material they have so oddly prepared in making their nests.
Alila, Our Little Philippine Cousin|Mary Hazelton Wade
If, now, the patient cough or strain as if at stool, the contents of the stomach will usually be forced out through the tube.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
When I shifted my position, he turned the other way quick, and coughed–that pore little gone-in cough of hisn.
Alec Lloyd, Cowpuncher|Eleanor Gates

British Dictionary definitions for cough

cough

/ (kɒf) /

verb

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

(intr) to make a sound similar to this

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

(intr) slang to confess to a crime

noun

an act, instance, or sound of coughing

a condition of the lungs or throat that causes frequent coughing

Derived forms of cough

cougher, noun

Word Origin for cough

Old English cohhetten; related to Middle Dutch kochen, Middle High German kūchen to wheeze; probably of imitative origin

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

Scientific definitions for cough

cough

[ kôf, kŏf ]

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

cough

Origin of cough

OTHER WORDS FROM cough

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH cough

Words nearby cough

Words related to cough

How to use cough in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for cough

Derived forms of cough

Word Origin for cough

Scientific definitions for cough