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 true nature of Colby’s identity and place in the community, however, is coughed up late into the film via a predictable twist that generates broad laughs but feels below a filmmaker of Decker’s intelligence.
—
Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 26 Jan. 2026
Countries will have to cough up at least $1 billion in order to secure a permanent seat on the board, according to a draft charter, while other members will have three-year terms.
—Chad De Guzman, Time, 19 Jan. 2026
That is almost double what spectators would have coughed up for entry into last year’s matchup, according to ticket-sales analyst Victory Resale.
—Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 16 Jan. 2026
But the turning point came when the Wild coughed up the go-ahead goal with 7 1/2 seconds left in the second period, on an extremely sloppy shift that started with a poor line change and ended with Foligno and Jake Middleton losing battles behind the net.
—Michael Russo, New York Times, 13 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for cough up
Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 26 Jan. 2026
Countries will have to cough up at least $1 billion in order to secure a permanent seat on the board, according to a draft charter, while other members will have three-year terms.
—Chad De Guzman, Time, 19 Jan. 2026
That is almost double what spectators would have coughed up for entry into last year’s matchup, according to ticket-sales analyst Victory Resale.
—Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 16 Jan. 2026
But the turning point came when the Wild coughed up the go-ahead goal with 7 1/2 seconds left in the second period, on an extremely sloppy shift that started with a poor line change and ended with Foligno and Jake Middleton losing battles behind the net.
—Michael Russo, New York Times, 13 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for cough up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cough up
Verb
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But as anyone knows who’s ever lost — or even voluntarily relinquished — a foundational piece of themselves, to understand loss is not the same as to accept it.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
23 Jan. 2026
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The president doubled down on his hostilities late Monday, criticizing Britain’s decision to relinquish control of the Chagos Islands, an Indian Ocean archipelago home to an Anglo-American military base.—
NBC news,
NBC news,
20 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The pill his team developed, YCT-529, works by blocking a vitamin-A-dependent protein essential for sperm growth, temporarily rendering men infertile without affecting their testosterone levels and thereby potentially introducing related side effects.—
Ana Castelain,
Bloomberg,
28 Jan. 2026
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Supporters of the pardon power further assured their colleagues that impeachment would furnish a corrective to any overuse of pardoning, underestimating the extent to which the modern party system would render this nearly impossible.—
Bernadette Meyler,
Harpers Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Only later did Wright discover that Valerio was surrendered to the shelter after biting his previous owner’s elderly mother in the face.—
Sandra McDonald,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Jan. 2026
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Brooklyn surrendered just four points over a long stretch, and Sharpe’s steal led to a Tyrese Martin breakaway dunk that tied the game at 70.—
C.J. Holmes,
New York Daily News,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The moratorium will halt the initial stages of free agency in which teams would seek to deliver qualifying offers and franchise tag designations to players.—
Doug Feinberg,
Twin Cities,
13 Jan. 2026
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Barajas and other co-defendants picked up the parcels and delivered them to Thola-Duran and others, with Thola-Duran acting as a fence to buy the goods at a fraction of their retail value, according to the indictment.—
City News Service,
Daily News,
13 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cough up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cough%20up. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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