cough up

British  

verb

1. informal to surrender (money, information, etc), esp reluctantly

2. (tr) to bring into the mouth or eject (phlegm, food, etc) by coughing

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cough up Idioms  

1. Hand over or relinquish, especially money; pay up. For example, It's time the delinquent members coughed up their dues . [ Slang ; late 1800s]

2. Confess or divulge, as in Pretty soon she'd cough up the whole story about last night . This idiom transfers the act of vomiting to telling the entire truth. [ Slang ; late 1800s]

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cough up

Under intense US pressure to cough up more on security, Lai's government has vowed to increase defence spending to five percent of GDP by 2030.

From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026

And when it feels like a company is, as you put it, holding your stuff for ransom, you may feel even more inclined to cough up whatever amount they insist you pay.

From MarketWatch ● Feb. 23, 2026

To secure membership, nations are expected to cough up $1 billion in dues.

From Salon ● Feb. 13, 2026

This matters because if Mr. Kelly was let go without cause, LSU would have to cough up the $54 million left on his 10-year, $100 million contract.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 24, 2025

All I have to do is cough up everything I can remember about the British War Effort.

From "Code Name Verity" by Elizabeth Wein

Related Words

• allocate
• concentrate
• consume
• contribute
• donate
• drop
• employ
• expend
• give
• invest
• put in
• settle
• use
• waste