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
Chase reeled in five catches for 50 yards, coughing up a fumble that was one of Cincinnati's five total turnovers.
—
Matt Audilet, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Sep. 2025
Per The New York Times, he was diagnosed with the illness after coughing up blood onto his piano.
—Marina Watts, PEOPLE, 16 Sep. 2025
After Henry coughed up the ball, the Bills capitalized, with Allen scoring on a 1-yard run.
—Associated Press, CNN Money, 8 Sep. 2025
Even that wasn’t enough when Mims coughed up the fourth-quarter punt.
—Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 8 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cough up
Matt Audilet, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Sep. 2025
Per The New York Times, he was diagnosed with the illness after coughing up blood onto his piano.
—Marina Watts, PEOPLE, 16 Sep. 2025
After Henry coughed up the ball, the Bills capitalized, with Allen scoring on a 1-yard run.
—Associated Press, CNN Money, 8 Sep. 2025
Even that wasn’t enough when Mims coughed up the fourth-quarter punt.
—Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 8 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cough up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cough up
Verb
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Liberation lies in relinquishing projection, in surrendering the desire for children to mirror our priorities and accomplishments.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 Oct. 2025
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For decades after that, most parents who relinquished infants for adoption did not expect to see or hear from those children again.—
Nicole Chung,
The Atlantic,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
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As Riofrancos notes, approximately 69 percent of transition minerals—and a whopping 85 percent of lithium reserves—are in or near Indigenous or poor communities across the globe, rendering these groups disproportionately vulnerable to water contamination, displacement, and economic insecurity.—
Scott W. Stern,
The Atlantic,
2 Oct. 2025
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Their skin is separated from the meat so the fat can render beneath it, crisping the surface while basting the flesh from within.—
Mackensy Lunsford,
Nashville Tennessean,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Aside from a few brief side conversations, there wasn’t much to say after surrendering a season-high 379 passing yards to Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.—
Michael-Shawn Dugar,
New York Times,
6 Oct. 2025
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Lacy was later charged with negligent homicide, felony hit-and-run with death and reckless operation of a vehicle and surrendered to police in mid-January.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
4 Oct. 2025
Verb
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McKinstry delivered in the fifth inning, hitting a homer and tying the game 2-2.—
Ryan Ford,
Freep.com,
6 Oct. 2025
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Jones delivered with an 11-yard touchdown pass to Warren that marked the first receiving TD of his career.—
James Boyd,
New York Times,
6 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cough up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cough%20up. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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