cough up

verb

coughed up; coughing up; coughs up
Synonyms of cough upnext

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.
Treinen gave up four consecutive hits in the seventh inning, failed to retire a batter and coughed up a Dodger lead. Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 19 Apr. 2026 Her aim is to make enough money to afford the fifty-thousand-dollar wedding floral arrangements that Nate is reluctant to cough up the dough for. Naomi Fry, New Yorker, 18 Apr. 2026 Nike director Tim Cook and CEO Elliott Hill coughed up about $1 million each in another round of insider stock buying. Natasha Abellard, CNBC, 15 Apr. 2026 Symptoms include coughing up blood or mucus, weight loss, chest pain, chills and fever, according to the Mayo Clinic. Ingrid Vasquez, PEOPLE, 14 Apr. 2026 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 23 Apr. 2026.

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