cough up

verb

coughed up; coughing up; coughs up

transitive verb

1
: hand over, deliver
cough up the money
2
: to lose possession of (a ball or puck) during a game
the quarterback coughed up the ball

Examples of cough up in a Sentence

finally got my brother to cough up the dough he owed me
Recent Examples on the Web Instead of digesting the fur and bones, barn owls cough up pellets, which scientists can dissect to learn more about food webs. Ramon Padilla, USA TODAY, 23 Oct. 2024 In a letter to the court filed late Tuesday, his lawyers say federal prosecutors should be forced to cough up the identities immediately so Combs can get to work on his defense ahead of his criminal trial now scheduled to begin May 5. Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 15 Oct. 2024 Affluent families will cough up tuition to secure a school with paper and pencils, in-person discussions, and hard-copy books for their children. Daniel Buck, National Review, 12 Oct. 2024 Holmes coughed up 4 runs in just 1/3 of an inning in a loss to Texas. Chuck Murr, Forbes, 11 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for cough up 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cough up.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1890, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of cough up was in 1890

Dictionary Entries Near cough up

Cite this Entry

“Cough up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cough%20up. Accessed 4 Nov. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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