cough

1 of 2

verb

ˈkȯf 

coughed; coughing; coughs

intransitive verb

1

: to expel air from the lungs suddenly with a sharp, short noise : to emit a cough (see cough entry 2 sense 1)

The dust made him cough repeatedly.

2

: to make a noise like that of coughing

The engine coughed and sputtered and then stopped.

transitive verb

: to expel by coughing

—often used with up

cough up mucus

cough

2 of 2

noun

1

: a sudden, sharp-sounding expulsion of air from the lungs acting as a protective mechanism to clear the air passages or as a symptom of pulmonary disturbance

2

: a condition marked by repeated or frequent coughing

She has a bad cough.

Examples of cough in a Sentence

Verb

She was coughing and sneezing all day.

The dust made him cough.

The engine coughed and sputtered and then stopped.

Noun

He has a cough and a cold.

They both have bad coughs.

I heard a cough from the back of the church.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Some people cough or play music aloud to cover any sounds of their bowel movements or find a more private bathroom in their office. —Kristen Rogers, CNN Money, 7 Apr. 2026

Near the end of the first, Betts came back to the bench coughing and sputtering, seemingly unable to clear her throat. —Marisa Ingemi, Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2026

Noun

When a human is infected, symptoms include cough, fever, night sweats and weight loss, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. —Dejanay Booth-Singleton, CBS News, 7 Apr. 2026

Measles symptoms include a high fever, cough, runny nose, watery and red eyes, and a rash that usually appears between three and five days after symptoms start, according to medical sources. —Ashley J. Dimella, FOXNews.com, 3 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

Middle English, from Old English *cohhian; akin to Middle High German kūchen to breathe heavily

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing cough

• cough drop
• cough mixture
• cough syrup
• cough up
• hacking cough
• smoker's cough
• whooping cough

Rhymes for cough

• coif
• doff
• goff
• groff
• off
• quaff
• raphe
• scoff
• trough
• ashraf
• checkoff
• cutoff

Video

A Look at Uncommon Onomatopoeia

Some imitative words are more surprising than others

Kids Definition

cough

1 of 2 verb

ˈkȯf 

1

: to force air from the lungs with a sharp short noise or series of noises

2

: to get rid of by coughing

cough up mucus

3

: to make a noise like that of coughing

an engine coughing and sputtering

cough

2 of 2 noun

1

: a condition marked by repeated or frequent coughing

2

: an act or sound of coughing

Medical Definition

cough

1 of 2 intransitive verb

ˈkȯf 

: to expel air from the lungs suddenly with a sharp, short noise usually in a series of efforts

transitive verb

: to expel by coughing

—often used with up

cough up mucus

cough

2 of 2 noun

1

: a condition marked by repeated, frequent coughing

he has a bad cough

2

: a sudden, sharp-sounding expulsion of air from the lungs acting as a protective mechanism to clear the air passages or as a symptom of pulmonary disturbance