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
The Angels coughed up a 6-4 lead and took a 9-7 loss to the Houston Astros on Sunday that left them with a split of the four-game set in Houston.
—
Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026
To avoid the lines, customers (including first-time private fliers) are now coughing up large sums to avoid TSA altogether, sometimes to the tune of $34,000, Bloomberg reported.
—Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 30 Mar. 2026
Minnesota didn’t cower when backed into a corner Wednesday after coughing up an 11 point lead with fewer than four minutes to play in the final frame.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 26 Mar. 2026
The bill would force bettors to cough up any profits from shady transactions along with a 10% fine, according to Politico, which first reported the new legislation.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 25 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for cough up
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Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026
To avoid the lines, customers (including first-time private fliers) are now coughing up large sums to avoid TSA altogether, sometimes to the tune of $34,000, Bloomberg reported.
—Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 30 Mar. 2026
Minnesota didn’t cower when backed into a corner Wednesday after coughing up an 11 point lead with fewer than four minutes to play in the final frame.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 26 Mar. 2026
The bill would force bettors to cough up any profits from shady transactions along with a 10% fine, according to Politico, which first reported the new legislation.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 25 Mar. 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 3 Apr. 2026.
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