coughing

cough  (kôf, kf)

v. coughed, cough·ing, coughs

v.intr.

1. To expel air from the lungs suddenly and noisily, often to keep the respiratory passages free of irritating material.

2. To make a noise similar to noisy expulsion of air from the lungs: The engine coughed and died.

v.tr.

To expel by coughing: coughed up phlegm.

n.

1. The act of coughing.

2. An illness marked by frequent coughing.

Phrasal Verb:

cough up Slang

1. To hand over or relinquish (money or another possession), often reluctantly.

2. To confess or disclose: When he saw that the police might arrest him, he coughed up the details of what he had seen.

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[Middle English coughen, ultimately of imitative origin.]

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

coughing - a sudden noisy expulsion of air from the lungs that clears the air passages; a common symptom of upper respiratory infection or bronchitis or pneumonia or tuberculosis cough respiratory disease, respiratory disorder, respiratory illness - a disease affecting the respiratory system symptom - (medicine) any sensation or change in bodily function that is experienced by a patient and is associated with a particular disease