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
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez are telling her estranged brother to cough up some money.
—
Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 11 Aug. 2025
Based on 2024 error rates, only Idaho, Nebraska, Nevada, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Wisconsin, and Wyoming will not have to cough up for a share of the benefits, though they will still be required to bear more of the administrative costs.
—Aliss Higham, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 July 2025
Gagging and coughing up water, Ryland rolls out of the bag and falls to the floor of a spaceship.
—Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 26 July 2025
But Hendricks and the Angels’ defense combined to cough up that lead – and then some – in a four-run fifth inning in which only two of Houston’s runs were earned.
—Mike Digiovanna, Oc Register, 22 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for cough up
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.
Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 11 Aug. 2025
Based on 2024 error rates, only Idaho, Nebraska, Nevada, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Wisconsin, and Wyoming will not have to cough up for a share of the benefits, though they will still be required to bear more of the administrative costs.
—Aliss Higham, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 July 2025
Gagging and coughing up water, Ryland rolls out of the bag and falls to the floor of a spaceship.
—Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 26 July 2025
But Hendricks and the Angels’ defense combined to cough up that lead – and then some – in a four-run fifth inning in which only two of Houston’s runs were earned.
—Mike Digiovanna, Oc Register, 22 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 20 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share