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
After blowing Game 6 of the Western Conference finals on Mother’s Day at Chicago Stadium, the Bulls coughed up an 11-point halftime lead to the Golden State Warriors and were outscored 24-14 in the fourth quarter to lose Game 7 on the road 83-79.
—
Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 14 May 2026
Defenseman Lane Hutson fell and coughed up the puck in a turnover that led to Buffalo’s opening goal.
—ABC News, 7 May 2026
Jordan Harris, making his Stanley Cup playoff debut, coughed up the puck while trying to break out against Doan.
—Fluto Shinzawa, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2026
There was nothing to smile about in Atlanta, the scene of the crime for a Knicks team that coughed up home-court advantage in Game 2, then fell into a 1-2 series deficit in its first-round playoff matchup in a crushing 109-108 loss to the Hawks on Thursday.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 24 Apr. 2026
Denver held the Wolves to 105 points in a Game 1 win but coughed up a 19-point lead in Game 2.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 21 Apr. 2026
Treinen gave up four consecutive hits in the seventh inning, failed to retire a batter and coughed up a Dodger lead.
—Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 19 Apr. 2026
Nike director Tim Cook and CEO Elliott Hill coughed up about $1 million each in another round of insider stock buying.
—Natasha Abellard, CNBC, 15 Apr. 2026
McIlroy coughed up a six-shot lead in the third round.
—CBS News, 13 Apr. 2026
Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 14 May 2026
Defenseman Lane Hutson fell and coughed up the puck in a turnover that led to Buffalo’s opening goal.
—ABC News, 7 May 2026
Jordan Harris, making his Stanley Cup playoff debut, coughed up the puck while trying to break out against Doan.
—Fluto Shinzawa, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2026
There was nothing to smile about in Atlanta, the scene of the crime for a Knicks team that coughed up home-court advantage in Game 2, then fell into a 1-2 series deficit in its first-round playoff matchup in a crushing 109-108 loss to the Hawks on Thursday.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 24 Apr. 2026
Denver held the Wolves to 105 points in a Game 1 win but coughed up a 19-point lead in Game 2.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 21 Apr. 2026
Treinen gave up four consecutive hits in the seventh inning, failed to retire a batter and coughed up a Dodger lead.
—Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 19 Apr. 2026
Nike director Tim Cook and CEO Elliott Hill coughed up about $1 million each in another round of insider stock buying.
—Natasha Abellard, CNBC, 15 Apr. 2026
McIlroy coughed up a six-shot lead in the third round.
—CBS News, 13 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for coughed up
Verb
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There are outs not to be relinquished on the bases.—
Gabriel Burns,
AJC.com,
15 May 2026
-
Aries held the title for 298 days beginning in September 2011 and only relinquished it to get a shot at the TNA World Championship.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
Depicting the Norman conquest of England 1100 years ago, the Bayeux tapestry is an astonishing 230 feet long and, according to the British Museum, features 58 scenes, each rendered in colored wool embroidery on flax.—
Anne Doran,
ARTnews.com,
14 May 2026
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The pieces are emblazoned with the Mschf and Vicenza signs rendered in sunflower yellow, as well as logos of partners and sponsors, including Diesel.—
Martino Carrera,
Footwear News,
14 May 2026
Verb
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With two outs already recorded in the inning, Rodón surrendered a double to Carson Benge before issuing walks to Bo Bichette and Juan Soto.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
17 May 2026
-
Cubs starter Jameson Taillon surrendered all five long balls.—
LaMond Pope,
Chicago Tribune,
17 May 2026
Verb
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Webb delivered the big blow with runners on second and third and no outs in the seventh, ripping a two-run double to the gap in left-center to give the Celtics the lead.—
Steve Millar,
Chicago Tribune,
15 May 2026
-
Coplen, Clement and Honsberger each delivered RBI singles to increase the lead to 10-0.—
Alex Kushel,
Sun Sentinel,
15 May 2026
Verb
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After a 40-5 decision by the City Council, Daley turned over tens of thousands of parking spots to hungry investors with a 75-year lease.—
Jackson Potter,
Chicago Tribune,
14 May 2026
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His defense lawyers told the court that Fleming immediately confessed when confronted by authorities and turned over incriminating text messages from his cellphone that later led to Sangha’s arrest.—
Nancy Dillon,
Rolling Stone,
13 May 2026
Verb
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Emmet Sheehan turned in perhaps his best start of the season Thursday, twirling six innings against the San Francisco Giants.—
Fabian Ardaya,
New York Times,
16 May 2026
-
Wacha turned in another quality start Friday.—
Jaylon Thompson,
Kansas City Star,
16 May 2026
Verb
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All vulnerabilities and exploits successfully used are immediately handed over to Microsoft, and the 90-day disclosure clock starts ticking as soon as the demonstration is completed.—
Davey Winder,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
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And, in 2025, the family handed over its geothermal water rights to Boise — a donation that the city said quadrupled its geothermal capacity.—
Mark Dee
May 15,
Idaho Statesman,
15 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Coughed up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/coughed%20up. Accessed 18 May. 2026.
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