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
Defenseman Lane Hutson fell and coughed up the puck in a turnover that led to Buffalo’s opening goal.
—
ABC News, 7 May 2026
On the Sabres’ first goal, Tage Thompson was all over Fraser Minten, who coughed up the puck after an errant breakout pass from Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy.
—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
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
ABC News, 7 May 2026
On the Sabres’ first goal, Tage Thompson was all over Fraser Minten, who coughed up the puck after an errant breakout pass from Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy.
—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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for coughed up
Verb
-
Turn back the tape just a few weeks ago, to when the Five Stripes relinquished a 1-0 advantage in the final stretch to lose at home 2-1.—
Amna Subhan,
AJC.com,
10 May 2026
-
More than 75 other nurses with Operation Nightingale school diplomas relinquished their Florida credentials, the health department said in its April 22 email in response to the Sentinel’s questions.—
Annie Martin,
The Orlando Sentinel,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
Each wavy stripe is rendered in beige leather, as well as the toe-tip.—
Ian Servantes,
Footwear News,
7 May 2026
-
The 53-year-old coach does not want to see the regular season be rendered meaningless.—
Ryan Canfield,
FOXNews.com,
7 May 2026
Verb
-
And surrendered two goals or fewer in five of them.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
10 May 2026
-
He was replaced by Mackenzie Blackwood after Wedgewood surrendered three goals on a dozen shots.—
Jess Myers,
Twin Cities,
10 May 2026
Verb
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The candidate has become accustomed to comical mailroom interactions with his neighbors, who are routinely delivered fliers emblazoned with his face.—
Gideon Lewis-Kraus,
New Yorker,
7 May 2026
-
Moreover, the flexible tandem cells also delivered strong results.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
7 May 2026
Verb
-
Drozdowski was held in lieu of $1 million bail and was turned over to the state Department of Correction.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
6 May 2026
-
The drugs and the man were turned over to Haitian authorities on Sunday, the Coast Guard said.—
Devoun Cetoute,
Miami Herald,
5 May 2026
Verb
-
The Spanish River girls’ distance tandem of junior Alba Antunez-Perez and freshman Lailani Levy also turned in strong performances.—
Gary Curreri,
Sun Sentinel,
10 May 2026
-
And whether Bridges shot 0-for-6 against the Lakers in March or turned in a playoff gem in Philadelphia, Hart’s answer never changed.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
9 May 2026
Verb
-
Arrest records viewed by USA TODAY show the Clayton County Police Department in Georgia arrested Anderson on Tuesday night as a fugitive from justice, as he is expected to be handed over to law enforcement in Florida.—
Taijuan Moorman,
USA Today,
7 May 2026
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For now, the four works shown in Putrajaya are expected to be handed over to Malaysia’s National Art Gallery.—
Daniel Cassady,
ARTnews.com,
6 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Coughed up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/coughed%20up. Accessed 11 May. 2026.
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