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 two-time champion was on the bathroom floor coughing up blood and experiencing shortness of breath, according to an unidentified man on the phone.
—
Zach Dean, FOXNews.com, 23 May 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for cough up
Zach Dean, FOXNews.com, 23 May 2026
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
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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Sometimes, this means an actual death is rendered on the page, but not always.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 June 2026
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However, the after-effects of the fire — smoke damage in staff areas, and the sprinkler system needing to be reset — rendered the building temporarily unsafe for people or animals.—
Harry Harris,
Mercury News,
9 June 2026
Verb
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Trump has insisted Iran end its nuclear weapons program and surrender its enriched uranium.—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
13 June 2026
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Observers in Washington and European capitals began to debate exactly how much territory Ukraine would have to surrender to sue for peace.—
Elizabeth Shackelford,
Chicago Tribune,
12 June 2026
Verb
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Sparks end a three-game losing streak with an 89-72 win over expansion Portland, delivering their stingiest defensive performance of the season.—
Marisa Ingemi,
Los Angeles Times,
8 June 2026
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Just days before the first article drawn from Silent Spring appeared in the pages of The New Yorker in June 1962, Carson had flown to California to deliver the commencement speech at Scripps College.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cough up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cough%20up. Accessed 14 Jun. 2026.
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