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
Weathers has coughed up multiple homers in five of his 13 starts this season, but big flies have been particularly problematic for him over his last three games.
—
Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 13 June 2026
Painter has coughed up precisely two homers in each of his two previous starts.
—Josh Shepardson, Forbes.com, 12 June 2026
Tony appealed to the state to force the county to cough up more money.
—Rafael Olmeda, Sun Sentinel, 11 June 2026
The Knicks coughed up the ball 13 times, sometimes unforced.
—Fred Katz, New York Times, 10 June 2026
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.
Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 13 June 2026
Painter has coughed up precisely two homers in each of his two previous starts.
—Josh Shepardson, Forbes.com, 12 June 2026
Tony appealed to the state to force the county to cough up more money.
—Rafael Olmeda, Sun Sentinel, 11 June 2026
The Knicks coughed up the ball 13 times, sometimes unforced.
—Fred Katz, New York Times, 10 June 2026
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 17 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
