as in to relinquish
to give (something) over to the control or possession of another usually under duress
finally got my brother to cough up the dough he owed me
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Recent Examples of cough up
The moment is reminiscent of Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) coughing up that leftover Demogorgon tentacle after he’s been rescued at the end of Stranger Things Season 1.
—
Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 22 May 2026
He was taken to the hospital on Wednesday night, based on 911 calls obtained by PEOPLE, in which a man helping Busch said the NASCAR star was coughing up blood and struggling to breathe.
—Anna Lazarus Caplan, PEOPLE, 22 May 2026
But a year after coughing up a 14-point lead in the final minutes of regulation and losing to Indiana in OT in Game 1 of the conference finals on their home court, the Knicks found their offense just in time.
—CBS News, 19 May 2026
The risk is that only a handful of clubs will be able to cough up those sums, unbalancing the market.
—Charlotte Harpur, New York Times, 19 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for cough up
Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 22 May 2026
He was taken to the hospital on Wednesday night, based on 911 calls obtained by PEOPLE, in which a man helping Busch said the NASCAR star was coughing up blood and struggling to breathe.
—Anna Lazarus Caplan, PEOPLE, 22 May 2026
But a year after coughing up a 14-point lead in the final minutes of regulation and losing to Indiana in OT in Game 1 of the conference finals on their home court, the Knicks found their offense just in time.
—CBS News, 19 May 2026
The risk is that only a handful of clubs will be able to cough up those sums, unbalancing the market.
—Charlotte Harpur, New York Times, 19 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for cough up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cough up
Verb
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In West Oakland, an old Greyhound terminal on Market Street converted to 102 apartments nearly a mile from a BART station relinquished the building back to the lender last year.—
Julia Prodis Sulek,
Mercury News,
4 June 2026
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The complex case revolves around a 2004 transaction, in which Monet’s great-nephew agreed to relinquish a rare Monet painting depicting the artist’s father, Adolphe, to the internationally renowned Wildenstein gallery, in exchange for several paintings of lesser value.—
Devorah Lauter,
ARTnews.com,
2 June 2026
Verb
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The latter has access to the psychic beacon of the Astronomican, which is used to correctly navigate the galaxy and the chaos of Warpspace, but in the Dark Imperium (Nihilus), faster-than-light travel has been rendered almost impossible.—
Fran Ruiz,
Space.com,
2 June 2026
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Officers and emergency medical personnel attempted to render aid, but McFarland was pronounced dead at the scene.—
Bradford Betz,
FOXNews.com,
2 June 2026
Verb
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Johnson’s second home run, his 14th of the season, came off UCLA star closer Easton Hawk, who had surrendered just three home runs this season.—
Mercury News staff,
Mercury News,
30 May 2026
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Sukhmati was one of those who surrendered, in October 2025, as the central government ramped up operations.—
Dhruv Tikekar,
CNN Money,
30 May 2026
Verb
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Behind Fernandez’s obsessive hitting tutelage, a young Bruins roster delivers national-best RBIs and on-base percentage.—
Liana Handler,
Los Angeles Times,
1 June 2026
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From its position on the trunk of Dubai's famous Palm Jumeirah, this hotel delivers a dose of New York-style luxury to the emirate in Dubai’s most exclusive neighborhoods.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
1 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cough up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cough%20up. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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