cough

verb \ ˈkȯf \

|Updated on: 20 Aug 2018

Examples: cough in a Sentence

Definition of cough

coughed; coughing; coughs

intransitive verb

1 : to expel air from the lungs suddenly with a sharp, short noise : to emit a cough (see ²cough 1)

The dust made him cough repeatedly.

2 : to make a noise like that of coughing

The engine coughed and sputtered and then stopped.

transitive verb

: to expel by coughing —often used with up

cough up mucus

See cough defined for English-language learners

See cough defined for kids

Examples of cough in a Sentence

She was coughing and sneezing all day.
The dust made him cough.
The engine coughed and sputtered and then stopped.

Recent Examples of cough from the Web

Philadelphia, playing without veteran starting QB Dan Raudabaugh, coughed away a 28-14 lead and surrendered 21 unanswered points to fall back to .500 after starting the season 3-0.

— mitchell gladstone, Philly.com, "Soul allows 21 unanswered points, hands Washington Valor its first win of season," 10 June 2018
The men used shovels and pickaxes to dig down through the debris, coughing as their eyes watered and their bodies shrouded in clouds of ash.

— NBC News, "Guatemala volcano survivor searches for 46 missing family members," 7 June 2018
Eidson appeared in court on Friday in a wheelchair and coughed frequently during the hearing.

— Washington Post, "US pot smuggler who fled to Australia sentenced to 3 years," 11 May 2018
Explosions rocked the stadium, and the acrid smoke that followed the rockets' red glare left some in the crowd coughing and choking.

— staff reports, Houston Chronicle, "Best photos of the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang," 9 Feb. 2018
People at risk of infection for the most part are individuals who have not been vaccinated — including babies too young to get the vaccine — or haven’t had the measles. Measles is easily spread through the air when someone coughs or sneezes.

— rita giordano, Philly.com, "Second suspected measles case detected in South Jersey," 5 July 2018
Measles is a highly contagious virus that is spread through the air when someone coughs or sneezes.

— catherine rentz, baltimoresun.com, "Health officials confirm measles case in Maryland," 24 May 2018
Perhaps sitting in a dirty airplane or next to someone who is coughing, sneezing or worse.

— joshua brockman, New York Times, "Should You Worry About Getting Sick From a Plane Flight? Maybe," 5 Feb. 2018
In Sweden, smoke detectors inside a billboard prompt a man in a video ad to begin coughing loudly whenever a smoker walks by, the report said.

— amy lieu, Fox News, "Battles between smokers, nonsmokers may be heating up," 11 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cough.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of cough

Middle English, from Old English *cohhian; akin to Middle High German kūchen to breathe heavily

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

See Words from the same year

cough

noun

Definition of cough

1 : a sudden, sharp-sounding expulsion of air from the lungs acting as a protective mechanism to clear the air passages or as a symptom of pulmonary disturbance

2 : a condition marked by repeated or frequent coughing

She has a bad cough.

See cough defined for English-language learners

Examples of cough in a Sentence

He has a cough and a cold.
They both have bad coughs.
I heard a cough from the back of the church.

Recent Examples of cough from the Web

Back in May, the nearly perfect series was capped off by a beautiful and moving finale, which means the show can live on undisturbed in the streaming heaven reserved for shows that didn't crash and burn their landing (*cough* Dexter).

— refinery29.com, "This Is Keri Russell's Time To Shine — Welcome To The Russell-ution, Comrades," 13 July 2018
Some golden generations splutter and cough and, sealed in a bubble of entitlement, never come close to delivering.

— jonathan wilson, SI.com, "Trophy Window Suddenly Shrinks for Belgium's Golden Generation," 10 July 2018
Symptoms of Legionnaires' disease usually begin two to 10 days after exposure and can include cough, shortness of breath, fever, muscle aches and headaches, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

— kristen jordan shamus, Detroit Free Press, "Mich. Legionnaires' disease, Pontiac fever cases up amid warmer temps," 9 July 2018
Signs and symptoms that may indicate a serious cause of chest pain: Association with fever, or cough plus green or yellow phlegm. Coughing up blood.

— Philly.com, "Medical mystery: An unexpected - and ironic - cause of chest pain," 24 June 2018
Elsewhere patients lined up at clinics with horrendous coughs, festering wounds and hernias spilling into trusses.

— The Economist, "Theresa May’s lacklustre plan for the NHS," 21 June 2018
The amphibians are a crucial ingredient in a mysterious medicine the convent makes that is believed to cure coughs, asthma, and anemia, so the women breed the lizards in order to keep their tradition alive.

— National Geographic, "Nuns Resurrect Endangered Salamanders in First-of-its-Kind Conservation Effort," 19 June 2018
Cities felt burned by the rise of grey-area-exploiters and light-rule-breakers like, cough, Uber and Lyft, which marauded their way into local markets just a few years ago.

— aarian marshall, WIRED, "Lyft Wants to Dominate Transportation, and That Means Bike Share," 1 June 2018
There, doctors recorded her issues: cough, difficulty breathing that was worsening by the minute, and sudden stabbing pains in the chest with every inhalation and exhalation.

— susan scutti, CNN, "Teen develops 'wet lung' after vaping for just 3 weeks," 17 May 2018

Origin and Etymology of cough

see ¹cough

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 2

See Words from the same year

Other Medicine Terms

analgesia, angina, diabetes, hepatitis, homeopathy, logorrhea, palliate, pandemic

COUGH Defined for English Language Learners

cough

verb

Definition of cough for English Language Learners

: to force air through your throat with a short, loud noise often because you are sick
: to make a noise like that of coughing

cough

noun

Definition of cough for English Language Learners

: a physical condition or illness that causes someone to cough
: an act of coughing or the sound made when someone coughs

COUGH Defined for Kids

cough

verb \ ˈkȯf \

Definition of cough for Students

coughed; coughing

1 : to force air from the lungs suddenly with a sharp short noise or series of noises

2 : to get rid of by coughing

cough up mucus

cough

noun

Definition of cough for Students

1 : a condition in which there is severe or frequent coughing

She has a bad cough.

2 : an act or sound of coughing

a dry cough

Medical Dictionary

cough

intransitive verb \ ˈkȯf \

medical Definition of cough

: to expel air from the lungs suddenly with a sharp, short noise usually in a series of efforts

transitive verb

: to expel by coughing —often used with up

cough up mucus

cough

noun

medical Definition of cough

1 : a condition marked by repeated, frequent coughing

he has a bad cough

2 : a sudden, sharp-sounding expulsion of air from the lungs acting as a protective mechanism to clear the air passages or as a symptom of pulmonary disturbance