cough syrup

American  

noun

cough syrups plural

1. a medicated, syruplike fluid, usually flavored and nonnarcotic or mildly narcotic, for relieving coughs or soothing irritated throats.

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• cough syrups
  plural

Etymology

Origin of cough syrup

First recorded in 1875–80

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cough syrup

The stakes are real: the Madhya Pradesh doctor who prescribed the syrup linked to recent child deaths defended his practice, saying, "I've been prescribing this cough syrup for 15 years."

From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2025

Chris Robinson, the actor who played Dr. Rick Webber on “General Hospital” and also introduced America to a classic turn of phrase in a commercial for cough syrup, has died of heart failure.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 12, 2025

Q: I would like to share my recipe for honey and onion cough syrup.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 3, 2024

An old campaign slogan for cough syrup, "It tastes awful. And it works," seemed to imply that any sweet content might have diminished the medicinal effect.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 25, 2023

She bark out that scary cough again and I get the baby aspirin and the cough syrup.

From "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett