cough

verb \ ˈkȯf \

|Updated on: 12 Jun 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

When the boy could not cough, he was dragged violently out of the house and around the yard, strangled and badly beaten.

— Longreads, "Fairy Scapegoats: A History of the Persecution of Changeling Children," 9 June 2018
Some were coughing as the sun set and temperatures dropped Tuesday evening.

— sandra dibble, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Central American caravan members persist in bid for U.S. as health concerns grow," 1 May 2018
Exposure to elevated ozone can lead to coughing and difficulty breathing, and make respiratory diseases such as asthma worse, according to University of Maryland air scientist Ross Salawitch.

— doyle rice, USA TODAY, "The USA's long battle against air pollution isn't over yet, as air quality improvements are slowing down," 30 Apr. 2018
Symptoms begin with pus-like discharge from the eyes, coughing, fevers and lethargy.

— brigit katz, Smithsonian, "‘Zombie-Like’ Raccoons Are Terrorizing Youngstown, Ohio," 6 Apr. 2018
With traditional cigarettes, users typically cough uncontrollably on their first puffs.

— julia belluz, Vox, "Juul, the vape device teens are getting hooked on, explained," 18 May 2018
Nervous laughter, a fit of coughing from Brother Lavelle, and then silence.

— john l’heureux, The New Yorker, "The Long Black Line," 14 May 2018
When the bodies were being carried out, two of the girls turned out to still be alive, spluttering and coughing before being stabbed into silence.

— simon sebag montefiore, Town & Country, "The Devastating True Story of the Romanov Family's Execution," 5 Oct. 2016
The symptoms are the same regardless of whether allergies or something else set off your asthma, but coughing tends to be the most common one, Purvi Parikh, M.D., an allergist and immunologist with Allergy & Asthma Network, tells SELF.

— korin miller, SELF, "5 Facts About Allergic Asthma, Which Is Just the Worst," 11 May 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

As the 20th of 22 children, she was well loved but struggled with illness for much of her childhood, battling double pneumonia, scarlet fever, and whooping cough.

— kate siber, Outside Online, "How Wilma Rudolph Became the World’s Fastest Woman," 8 June 2018
Some diseases are highly contagious, such as pertussis -- commonly called whooping cough -- and can spread in a school among children not immunized.

— molly harbarger, OregonLive.com, "Oregon rates of non-immunized children continues to rise," 29 May 2018
But pockets of vaccine skeptics have helped cause outbreaks of measles and whooping cough.

— NBC News, "Public support for vaccines drops a bit," 21 May 2018
Measles begins with a high fever and respiratory symptoms like cough and runny nose before proceeding to the telltale red rash associated with the illness.

— andy marso, kansascity, "Kansas City reaches important milestone in its two measles outbreaks | The Kansas City Star," 11 May 2018
That includes vaccines to prevent Hepatitis A, HPV and whooping cough.

— CBS News, "Pediatrician arrested for giving partial doses of vaccines," 26 Feb. 2018
Whooping cough has jumped from 1,000-10,000 cases a year in 1965 to as many as 48,277 cases in 2012.

— natasha bach, Fortune, "Americans Don't Trust Vaccines Like They Used To," 22 May 2018
The virus spreads when an infected person coughs or sneezes.

— Fox News, "New Jersey residents may have been exposed to measles at several places, including Newark Airport," 13 May 2018
Where many fast-fashion retailers (cough) have verged towards ripping off indie swim brands, H&M's found its own footing in merging up-and-coming bathing suit trends with classic silhouettes.

— refinery29.com, "H&M Is Stocking The Best Swimsuits For Summer," 1 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