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
That same year, the ultimate outlier came with the Cleveland Browns coughing up a fortune (including three first-rounders among seven picks) for Deshaun Watson’s exit from Houston.
—
Cam Inman, Mercury News, 23 Feb. 2026
Consumers have had to cough up more cash to keep up with businesses’ rising costs.
—Hannah Parker, NBC news, 20 Feb. 2026
In his lone start last year with Young out with a high ankle sprain, Dalton was overmatched in a 40-9 loss to the Buffalo Bills, getting sacked seven times and coughing up three turnovers.
—Joseph Person, New York Times, 19 Feb. 2026
Some people also cough up blood and experience lightheadedness or fainting.
—Katia Hetter, CNN Money, 18 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for cough up
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Cam Inman, Mercury News, 23 Feb. 2026
Consumers have had to cough up more cash to keep up with businesses’ rising costs.
—Hannah Parker, NBC news, 20 Feb. 2026
In his lone start last year with Young out with a high ankle sprain, Dalton was overmatched in a 40-9 loss to the Buffalo Bills, getting sacked seven times and coughing up three turnovers.
—Joseph Person, New York Times, 19 Feb. 2026
Some people also cough up blood and experience lightheadedness or fainting.
—Katia Hetter, CNN Money, 18 Feb. 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 1 Mar. 2026.
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