as in relinquished
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 coughed up
With Doval on a short leash, Blackburn entered and eventually coughed up the winning run.
—
Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 31 Mar. 2026
The Angels coughed up a 6-4 lead and took a 9-7 loss to the Houston Astros on Sunday that left them with a split of the four-game set in Houston.
—Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026
The Bruins coughed up a 2-0 first period lead to an also-ran New Jersey Devils and lost 4-3 in overtime.
—Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 17 Mar. 2026
Other local politicians have also coughed up remarkably few text messages in response to public records requests.
—Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2026
The Wolverines coughed up 14 total turnovers, which led to 14 points for the Gophers, and that helped Minnesota keep it closer.
—Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 25 Feb. 2026
The last time these teams met, the Miami Heat coughed up a 19-point lead in a loss to the Boston Celtics.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 7 Feb. 2026
Even taking into account the buy-out clauses Abramovich paid Porto to hire Villas-Boas and Clearlake and its partners coughed up for Brighton’s Graham Potter, coaches do not cost anywhere near as much as players.
—James Horncastle, New York Times, 27 Jan. 2026
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
Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 31 Mar. 2026
The Angels coughed up a 6-4 lead and took a 9-7 loss to the Houston Astros on Sunday that left them with a split of the four-game set in Houston.
—Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026
The Bruins coughed up a 2-0 first period lead to an also-ran New Jersey Devils and lost 4-3 in overtime.
—Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 17 Mar. 2026
Other local politicians have also coughed up remarkably few text messages in response to public records requests.
—Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2026
The Wolverines coughed up 14 total turnovers, which led to 14 points for the Gophers, and that helped Minnesota keep it closer.
—Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 25 Feb. 2026
The last time these teams met, the Miami Heat coughed up a 19-point lead in a loss to the Boston Celtics.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 7 Feb. 2026
Even taking into account the buy-out clauses Abramovich paid Porto to hire Villas-Boas and Clearlake and its partners coughed up for Brighton’s Graham Potter, coaches do not cost anywhere near as much as players.
—James Horncastle, New York Times, 27 Jan. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for coughed up
Verb
-
Coughlin was in a three-way tie for the lead after the first round and never relinquished that position as others fell off.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
6 Apr. 2026
-
Simmons was set to be Ole Miss’ starter in 2025, but an early-season ankle injury derailed that, and Trinidad Chambliss took over and never relinquished the job.—
Sam Khan Jr,
New York Times,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Or the mood might call for ripping into smoky lamb shoulder, rubbed with baharat (Lebanese seven spice) and rendered to a consistency somewhere wonderfully between melty and ropy.—
Bill Addison,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Apr. 2026
-
What’s heightening the crisis is that stopgaps typically used to offset supply shocks have been rendered moot.—
Tess Kenny,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Many of those animals are surrendered when their owners can no longer properly care for them, an issue that Alessandro Catenazzi, associate professor of biological science at Florida International University, stressed.—
Julian Camejo,
Miami Herald,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Lukáš Dostál surrendered six goals on 29 shots, with culpability to spread around between him and his defense.—
Andrew Knoll,
Oc Register,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Tatum delivered a few moments of vintage excellence in the opening minutes, turning a steal into a transition lay-up for his first basket, then using a spin move to finish through contact for his second.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Nico Hoerner hit a leadoff homer and then delivered an RBI double during a five-run fifth inning as the Chicago Cubs beat the sloppy Tampa Bay Rays 6-2 on Wednesday night at Tropicana Field.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The kit was turned over to the state Division of Scientific Services, which found a mixture of three DNA contributors, including at least one that came from a male, according to the warrant affidavit.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
9 Apr. 2026
-
By 16, Gallagher had already turned over $50,000.—
Orianna Rosa Royle,
Fortune,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Baiamonte was also on the Kaseya Center microphone for one of the most memorable performances in NBA history this season, when Heat center Bam Adebayo turned in the second-highest scoring performance in league history by totaling 83 points in a March 10 home win over the Wizards.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
3 Apr. 2026
-
In the bullpen, RHP Garrett Whitlock has turned in three scoreless appearances while RHP Greg Weissert has allowed three runs in 2⅔ innings.—
Jeff Sanders,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Benjamin de Rothschild handed over control of the bank to his wife in early 2015.—
Shirsho Dasgupta,
Miami Herald,
7 Apr. 2026
-
The Love County Sheriff's Office was the lead agency on the case before it was handed over to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.—
Jessie Christopher Smith,
Oklahoman,
7 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Coughed up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/coughed%20up. Accessed 12 Apr. 2026.
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