cough

[ kawf, kof ]

/ kɔf, kɒf /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR cough 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.

Nearby words

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

Related formscough·er, noun

Can be confusedcough cuff koph

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for cough

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
Symptoms: Cough, rapid breathing, whistling, rattling and bubbling in throat.
Pratt's Practical Pointers on the Care of Livestock and Poultry|Pratt Food Co.
My cough prevented my going out, but we had Sunday-afternoon service in the chapel, with beautiful singing.
The Story of My Life, volumes 4-6|Augustus J. C. Hare
Charlie Tagg gave a bit of a cough and said it wanted considering.
The Nest Egg|W.W. Jacobs
It was wicked to cough in church, as it was a sacrilege to play with a hymn-book.
The Uncalled|Paul Laurence Dunbar
It cost a lot of money to obtain this title and the Serb multi-billionaire Karic was only too glad to cough it up.
After the Rain|Sam Vaknin

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 Formscougher, 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

Word Origin and History for cough

cough

early 14c., coughen, probably in Old English, but not recorded, from Proto-Germanic *kokh- (with the rough "kh" of German or of Scottish loch; cf. Middle Dutch kochen, Middle High German kuchen). Onomatopoeic. Related: Coughed; coughing. As a noun from c.1300.

Medicine definitions for cough

cough

[ kôf ]

v.

To expel air from the lungs suddenly and noisily, often to keep the respiratory passages free of irritating material.

n.

The act of coughing.

An illness marked by frequent coughing.

Science 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

verb (used without object)

verb (used with object)

noun

Verb Phrases

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Nearby words

Origin of cough

Examples from the Web for cough

British Dictionary definitions for cough

cough

verb

noun

Word Origin for cough

Word Origin and History for cough

cough

Medicine definitions for cough

cough

v.

n.

Science definitions for cough

cough