cough
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.
to expel by coughing (usually followed by up or out): to cough up phlegm.
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.
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.
Origin of cough
1Other words from cough
- cougher, noun
Words that may be confused with cough
Words Nearby cough
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 NewsWearing 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 NewsTwo 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 NewsMichalak 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 NewsIndirect 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.
Will went on to say doctors believe a “sneeze or some cough” can spread Ebola.
It can spread through a sneeze, cough, sharing a beverage or speaking up close with someone who has the disease.
Brosseau said her views had nothing to do with Ebola spreading among the public at large through a sneeze or cough.
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 | THE DAILY BEASTWhen 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 ToddIt 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 TatlowThey then cough it up and use this material they have so oddly prepared in making their nests.
Alila, Our Little Philippine Cousin | Mary Hazelton WadeIf, 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 ToddWhen 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
/ (kɒf) /
(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
an act, instance, or sound of coughing
a condition of the lungs or throat that causes frequent coughing
Origin of cough
1Derived forms of cough
- cougher, noun
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
[ kôf, kŏf ]
The act of expelling air from the lungs suddenly and noisily, often to keep the respiratory passages free of irritating material.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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