cough

1 of 2

verb

coughed; coughing; coughs

intransitive verb

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

cough

2 of 2

noun

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.

Examples of cough in a Sentence

Verb She was coughing and sneezing all day. The dust made him cough. The engine coughed and sputtered and then stopped. Noun He has a cough and a cold. They both have bad coughs. I heard a cough from the back of the church.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
And in addition to contaminated surfaces or dirty food and water, the virus also spreads from person to person via sneezing and coughing—a route of transmission that could play a large role in cramped refugee camps. Saima S. Iqbal, Scientific American, 26 Sep. 2024 Respiratory infections can also cause other symptoms, such as headaches, a runny nose, coughing, sneezing, and fatigue.4 Voice Misuse Some people develop aphonia due to the strain of talking loudly, yelling, or screaming too much. Mark Gurarie, Health, 14 Sep. 2024
Noun
Whooping cough starts with symptoms that look a lot like a regular cold: a runny nose, sneezing, a low-grade fever and a tickly cough. Brenda Goodman, CNN, 20 Sep. 2024 The two men did a thorough exam of Noel, noting a cough, fever, swollen lymph nodes, a slight heart murmur, and scars on his legs from recurrent ulcers. Maryn McKenna, Scientific American, 17 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for cough 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cough.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

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

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of cough was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near cough

Cite this Entry

“Cough.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cough. Accessed 13 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

cough

1 of 2 verb
1
: to force air from the lungs with a sharp short noise or series of noises
2
: to get rid of by coughing
cough up mucus
3
: to make a noise like that of coughing
an engine coughing and sputtering

cough

2 of 2 noun
1
: a condition marked by repeated or frequent coughing
2
: an act or sound of coughing

Medical Definition

cough

1 of 2 intransitive verb
: 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

2 of 2 noun
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

More from Merriam-Webster on cough

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