cough up
verb
coughed up; coughing up; coughs up
2
: to lose possession of (a ball or puck) during a game
the quarterback coughed up the ball
Examples of cough up in a Sentence
finally got my brother to cough up the dough he owed me
Recent Examples on the Web
He's owed the remainder of his $8 million club option this year before hitting free agency, so San Diego would not have to cough up much to get the deal done.
—
Drew Vonscio, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 July 2025
The tech entrepreneur first coughed up $500,000 in 2004 for a 10% stake in the company, just months into its creation—giving it a value of about $4.9 million.
—Jim Edwards, Fortune, 1 July 2025
Siakam coughed up the ball again 79 seconds later, then Nesmith followed suit with one of his own on the next possession.
—Tony East, Forbes.com, 18 June 2025
For much of Game Four, on Friday night, the Thunder continued to sputter, coughing up the ball and struggling to stay in front of driving players.
—Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 15 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for cough up
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Drew Vonscio, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 July 2025
The tech entrepreneur first coughed up $500,000 in 2004 for a 10% stake in the company, just months into its creation—giving it a value of about $4.9 million.
—Jim Edwards, Fortune, 1 July 2025
Siakam coughed up the ball again 79 seconds later, then Nesmith followed suit with one of his own on the next possession.
—Tony East, Forbes.com, 18 June 2025
For much of Game Four, on Friday night, the Thunder continued to sputter, coughing up the ball and struggling to stay in front of driving players.
—Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 15 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for cough up
Cite this Entry
“Cough up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cough%20up. Accessed 15 Jul. 2025.
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