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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of cough up
Symptoms include coughing up blood or mucus, weight loss, chest pain, chills and fever, according to the Mayo Clinic.
—
Ingrid Vasquez, PEOPLE, 14 Apr. 2026
McIlroy coughed up a six-shot lead in the third round.
—CBS News, 13 Apr. 2026
Tehran had already moved to start charging ships transiting the strait in recent weeks, with at least one vessel coughing up $2 million to do so, according to shipping intelligence firm Lloyd’s List.
—Hanna Ziady, CNN Money, 8 Apr. 2026
The streamer is coughing up some $150 million over the next three years for the rights to carry a total of nine sessions of baseball, a bare bones roster that includes the annual opener, the Field of Dream games formerly hosted by Fox and the Home Run Derby.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 1 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for cough up
Ingrid Vasquez, PEOPLE, 14 Apr. 2026
McIlroy coughed up a six-shot lead in the third round.
—CBS News, 13 Apr. 2026
Tehran had already moved to start charging ships transiting the strait in recent weeks, with at least one vessel coughing up $2 million to do so, according to shipping intelligence firm Lloyd’s List.
—Hanna Ziady, CNN Money, 8 Apr. 2026
The streamer is coughing up some $150 million over the next three years for the rights to carry a total of nine sessions of baseball, a bare bones roster that includes the annual opener, the Field of Dream games formerly hosted by Fox and the Home Run Derby.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 1 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for cough up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cough up
Verb
-
This suggests that Bronze Age individuals relinquished pieces of their wealth as a sacred offering.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
25 Apr. 2026
-
But desire refuses to relinquish its demands.—
Alexandra Schwartz,
New Yorker,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The two teams were scheduled to play in a rematch Tuesday in Oak Lawn but the game was postponed by a late afternoon storm that rendered the baseball field unplayable.—
Jeff Vorva,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Apr. 2026
-
Some of the company's changes have sparked debate, particularly around its use of beef tallow, which is fat rendered from cows.—
Deirdre Bardolf,
FOXNews.com,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The Giants got another run when Lee homered in the eighth, but the eight runs that Houser surrendered were too much to overcome.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Lomu, 21, didn’t allow a sack last season, surrendering two QB hits and six hurries.—
Doug Kyed,
Boston Herald,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The speed with which some fan confidence in him has eroded was, nevertheless, unprecedented considering no Liverpool manager (or in Slot’s case, head coach) has delivered the league title at the end of their first season since Kenny Dalglish in 1985-86.—
Simon Hughes,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Step back, decide what needs to be said, and deliver it once with clarity and control.—
Tarot.com,
Baltimore Sun,
27 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cough up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cough%20up. Accessed 28 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
