expectorate

American  

[ik-spek-tuh-reyt] / ɪkˈspɛk təˌreɪt /

verb (used without object)

expectorated, expectorating

1. to eject or expel matter, as phlegm, from the throat or lungs by coughing or hawking and spitting; spit.

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verb (used with object)

expectorated, expectorating

1. to eject or expel (matter) in this way.

expectorate British  

/ ɪkˈspɛktəˌreɪt /

verb

1. to cough up and spit out (sputum from the respiratory passages)

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Other Word Forms

• expectoration noun
• expectorator noun
• unexpectorated adjective

Etymology

Origin of expectorate

1595–1605; < Latin expectorātus (past participle of expectorāre to expel from the breast), equivalent to ex- ex- ¹ + pector- (stem of pectus ) breast + -ātus -ate ¹

Explanation

Looking for a fancy way to say "cough up phlegm"? Try expectorate. There's no way around it — expectorating is pretty gross. If you have a respiratory problem like bronchitis, you're going to expectorate a lot: phlegm and mucus will build up in your lungs, and you'll eventually cough it up and spit it out. A doctor might prescribe a special cough medicine to help you expectorate. Sometimes people use expectorate to mean spitting out plain old saliva, too.

Example Sentences

Monday night’s miracle expectorate didn’t have any second spitter.

From Washington Times • Nov. 19, 2019

Yet these are the 2019 Nats, and they look at external expectations — and, well, expectorate on them.

From Washington Post • Oct. 27, 2019

In the horse & buggy days, a fellow could chew and expectorate safely.

From Time Magazine Archive

Eight months ago Florence was already reading, writing, and using such words as "expectorate."

From Time Magazine Archive

“Though, Lloyd, why you can’t spell expectorate when it’s spelled just like it sounds, I cannot fathom.”

From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck