COUGHING UP Synonyms: 31 Similar and Opposite Words

coughing up

verb

present participle of cough up

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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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for coughing up

Verb

Loth promptly went out and took care of business, taking the lead early before briefly relinquishing it, then pulling away down the stretch.

— Frank Rajkowski, Twin Cities, 6 June 2026
Consumers are intrigued by convenience, but at the same time clearly uneasy about relinquishing control.

— Jacques Ledbetter, Forbes.com, 30 May 2026