cough

1 of 2

verb

ˈkȯf 

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

Soon came the sound of profuse coughing. —Judy L. Thomas, Kansas City Star, 9 Oct. 2025

It is spread through close contact with an infected person, such as through respiratory droplets from coughing or sneezing. —Cara Lynn Shultz, PEOPLE, 8 Oct. 2025

Noun

Those sacs of air fill with fluid or pus, causing a cough with phlegm or pus, fever, chills and trouble breathing, according to the clinic. —Rebecca Cohen, NBC news, 16 Oct. 2025

Anyone who was at an exposure location and develops symptoms — which include fever, rash, cough, runny nose and red, itchy eyes — should contact their health care provider by phone. —Katie Langford, Denver Post, 16 Oct. 2025

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

Phrases Containing cough

• cough drop
• cough mixture
• cough syrup
• cough up
• hacking cough
• smoker's cough
• whooping cough

Rhymes for cough

• coif
• doff
• goff
• groff
• off
• quaff
• raphe
• scoff
• trough
• ashraf
• checkoff
• cutoff

Video

A Look at Uncommon Onomatopoeia

Some imitative words are more surprising than others

Kids Definition

cough

1 of 2 verb

ˈkȯf 

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

ˈkȯf 

: 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