cough up

verb

coughed up; coughing up; coughs up

transitive verb

1
: hand over, deliver
cough up the money
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Binnington has allowed six goals on 28 shots at home, while Hofer coughed up seven goals on 22 shots Wednesday. Jeremy Rutherford, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025 Roberts pulled the Japanese pitcher, bringing in Blake Treinen and Scott, who were unable to get a single out and coughed up the lead that was 4-0 entering the inning. Nelson Espinal, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Oct. 2025 Patriots recover Rohan Nadkarni The Bills just coughed up the ball for the second time tonight, and this time the Patriots recovered in the red zone. Andrew Greif, NBC news, 6 Oct. 2025 Swayman, playing his first game of the preseason, coughed up the puck behind the net to Bobby Brink, who got it to Tyson Foerster. Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 30 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for cough up

Word History

First Known Use

1890, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of cough up was in 1890

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Cough up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cough%20up. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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