as in relinquishing
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 coughing up
Causes of death and identification of the deceased Busch collapsed Wednesday while testing in a Chevrolet simulator, prompting a 911 call describing shortness of breath, high fever and coughing up blood.
—
Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 24 May 2026
Busch was coughing up blood and experiencing shortness of breath on Wednesday while getting ready for Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
—Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 24 May 2026
The two-time champion was on the bathroom floor coughing up blood and experiencing shortness of breath, according to an unidentified man on the phone.
—Zach Dean, FOXNews.com, 23 May 2026
The moment is reminiscent of Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) coughing up that leftover Demogorgon tentacle after he’s been rescued at the end of Stranger Things Season 1.
—Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 22 May 2026
But a year after coughing up a 14-point lead in the final minutes of regulation and losing to Indiana in OT in Game 1 of the conference finals on their home court, the Knicks found their offense just in time.
—CBS News, 19 May 2026
Ritchie has allowed at least one home run in three of four starts, coughing up two in one of his road starts and one in the other road start.
—Josh Shepardson, Forbes.com, 18 May 2026
Symptoms of a blood clot include swelling, shortness of breath, coughing up blood and varicose vein changes, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
—Gina Kalsi, PEOPLE, 23 Apr. 2026
The streamer is coughing up some $150 million over the next three years for the rights to carry a total of nine sessions of baseball, a bare bones roster that includes the annual opener, the Field of Dream games formerly hosted by Fox and the Home Run Derby.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 1 Apr. 2026
Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 24 May 2026
Busch was coughing up blood and experiencing shortness of breath on Wednesday while getting ready for Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
—Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 24 May 2026
The two-time champion was on the bathroom floor coughing up blood and experiencing shortness of breath, according to an unidentified man on the phone.
—Zach Dean, FOXNews.com, 23 May 2026
The moment is reminiscent of Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) coughing up that leftover Demogorgon tentacle after he’s been rescued at the end of Stranger Things Season 1.
—Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 22 May 2026
But a year after coughing up a 14-point lead in the final minutes of regulation and losing to Indiana in OT in Game 1 of the conference finals on their home court, the Knicks found their offense just in time.
—CBS News, 19 May 2026
Ritchie has allowed at least one home run in three of four starts, coughing up two in one of his road starts and one in the other road start.
—Josh Shepardson, Forbes.com, 18 May 2026
Symptoms of a blood clot include swelling, shortness of breath, coughing up blood and varicose vein changes, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
—Gina Kalsi, PEOPLE, 23 Apr. 2026
The streamer is coughing up some $150 million over the next three years for the rights to carry a total of nine sessions of baseball, a bare bones roster that includes the annual opener, the Field of Dream games formerly hosted by Fox and the Home Run Derby.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 1 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for coughing up
Verb
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Consumers are intrigued by convenience, but at the same time clearly uneasy about relinquishing control.—
Jacques Ledbetter,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2026
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Iranian media have emphasized that reopening the waterway to shipping does not mean Tehran is relinquishing its wartime claims over the strategic chokepoint.—
Tim Lister,
CNN Money,
24 May 2026
Verb
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Antiques were restored and put in prominent places, rooms and suites were upgraded with new furnishings and fixtures, the beloved Café Romano got a facelift, and the energy infrastructure was upgraded, rendering the hotel more sustainable and making space for a new rooftop bar.—
Laura Itzkowitz,
Robb Report,
4 June 2026
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The past few years have seen a shift toward drenching, or covering every wall—including, sometimes, the ceiling—in a material, whether that's paint, wood, or wallpaper, rendering the accent wall less popular.—
Shagun Khare,
The Spruce,
1 June 2026
Verb
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With Houser turning in his shortest outing of the season, Vitello leaned on left-hander Sam Hentges (1 1/3 innings), JT Brubaker (one inning) and Ryan Borucki (two innings) to all chip in an inning apiece.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
31 May 2026
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The No Country For Old Men Oscar winner, who earlier spoke about genocide, repression and the political tide turning in Hollywood, then went more macro.—
Tom Tapp,
Deadline,
17 May 2026
Verb
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Jordan Ayala of Norco retired the first 10 batters and had six strikeouts without giving up a hit.—
Eric Sondheimer,
Los Angeles Times,
30 May 2026
-
Soto had the only two hits of the night for the Mets against Peréz (3-6), who retired eight straight after giving up the home run.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
23 May 2026
Verb
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After Saturday night’s 4-3 loss to the Phillies – a defeat that happened in large part because reliever Tanner Scott reverted to some old, bad habits in surrendering a 3-1 lead in the eighth – Yamamoto understood Sunday’s assignment.—
Jim Alexander,
Oc Register,
1 June 2026
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Your choice Remember, there’s a big difference between offering someone a small gift and surrendering to the other person’s demand.—
Attia Qureshi,
Time,
1 June 2026
Verb
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The 30 year old allegedly went through the facility's south TSA security checkpoint without turning over any of his baggage, according to the allegations read by presiding judge Latrevia Kates-Johnson during Oloruntoba's bond hearing on Tuesday.—
Colson Thayer,
PEOPLE,
14 May 2026
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What was His message in turning over the tables, besides showing His rudeness?—
John Kenney,
New Yorker,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Ferguson and his team had to build pitches on top of the existing ones, with some venues only handing over the premises days before, due to commercial commitments.—
Jordan Campbell,
New York Times,
5 June 2026
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Discussions have centered on AI firms voluntarily handing over shares to the government, with returns funneled to public purposes, such as dividends to all American households, according to NOTUS.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
5 June 2026
Verb
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Sparks end a three-game losing streak with an 89-72 win over expansion Portland, delivering their stingiest defensive performance of the season.—
Marisa Ingemi,
Los Angeles Times,
8 June 2026
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While the circular economy is delivering real economic opportunity for millions of Americans, Jeffrey Zubricki, Etsy global head of advocacy and public policy, said too many microbusinesses face reporting requirements and cost structures that weren’t designed with them in mind.—
Angela Velasquez,
Footwear News,
8 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Coughing up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/coughing%20up. Accessed 9 Jun. 2026.
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