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

Individually they were also under-powered, low on energy and coughing up basic errors.

From BBC

My mom thumped me on the back as I leaned forward to cough up a lung into my napkin.

From Literature

Each of the past three times it has dropped points, the draw or defeat came after coughing up a lead.

From The Wall Street Journal

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

Italy were well in the match but three times coughed up the ball within sight of the tryline to let France off.

From Barron's

Related Words

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