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
Painter has coughed up precisely two homers in each of his two previous starts.
—
Josh Shepardson, Forbes.com, 12 June 2026
Reese, meanwhile, totaled 11 points and 10 rebounds but coughed up a team-high four turnovers.
—James Boyd, New York Times, 5 June 2026
Miguel Rojas moved from second base to third then to the mound in the ninth inning and coughed up home runs to both Brett Sullivan and Kyle Karros.
—Doug Padilla, Oc Register, 27 May 2026
Busch coughed up some blood and was experiencing shortness of breath on Wednesday while getting ready for Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
—Wayne Sterling, CNN Money, 23 May 2026
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
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
Josh Shepardson, Forbes.com, 12 June 2026
Reese, meanwhile, totaled 11 points and 10 rebounds but coughed up a team-high four turnovers.
—James Boyd, New York Times, 5 June 2026
Miguel Rojas moved from second base to third then to the mound in the ninth inning and coughed up home runs to both Brett Sullivan and Kyle Karros.
—Doug Padilla, Oc Register, 27 May 2026
Busch coughed up some blood and was experiencing shortness of breath on Wednesday while getting ready for Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
—Wayne Sterling, CNN Money, 23 May 2026
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for coughed up
Verb
-
Rudin relinquished his Broadway producing duties in 2021 following allegations of bullying but returned last season with a transfer of Little Bear Ridge Road, also starring Metcalf.—
Vulture Editors,
Vulture,
8 June 2026
-
In West Oakland, an old Greyhound terminal on Market Street converted to 102 apartments nearly a mile from a BART station relinquished the building back to the lender last year.—
Julia Prodis Sulek,
Mercury News,
4 June 2026
Verb
-
Dembélé’s teammate, midfielder Rayan Cherki, was also on the HAC tip, though his was smaller and rendered in creamy beige.—
Max Berlinger,
Vogue,
11 June 2026
-
The resulting flooding rendered the antenna inoperable.—
Stephen Clark,
ArsTechnica,
11 June 2026
Verb
-
Carolina also surrendered a high number of goals before switching from Frederik Andersen to Brandon Bussi, who allowed three goals in Game 4 and two more in Game 5.—
Matt Reigle OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
14 June 2026
-
That remained the case on Friday, as the left-hander surrendered two longballs in the Yankees’ series-opening loss to the Blue Jays.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
13 June 2026
Verb
-
Cribs, strollers, and Playstations delivered to your room are among the family amenities.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
12 June 2026
-
For over 30 years, Outward Magazine has delivered news and features for and by the community.—
Sean Timberlake,
Sacbee.com,
12 June 2026
Verb
-
Tied 9-9 heading to the fourth, Walpole won the opening draw but turned over possession in Reading’s defensive zone.—
Matt Goisman,
Boston Herald,
11 June 2026
-
Attorneys in support of the DOJ say 21 other states have already turned over the records, and Maryland should do the same.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
10 June 2026
Verb
-
The court found that when the campaign turned in more than 305,000 signatures to force a statewide vote on the map, that decision alone did not suspend it from taking effect.—
Kacen Bayless,
Kansas City Star,
12 June 2026
-
Rabe, who retired the next two batters before Hudson Calhoun relieved, had turned in strong starts in the regionals and super regionals but wasn't as sharp against the Tar Heels.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
12 June 2026
Verb
-
After Hurt handed over the ball, Horwitz sent Dodgers lefty Jack Dreyer’s second pitch deep for a two-run homer.—
Maddie Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
10 June 2026
-
The investigation has since been handed over to the Tacoma Police Department, which is continuing to look into the circumstances surrounding Colyer's disappearance and death.—
Paloma Chavez,
PEOPLE,
10 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Coughed up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/coughed%20up. Accessed 14 Jun. 2026.
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