cough

intransitive-verb
UK: /kɒf/
US: /kɔːf/

  1. To expel air from the lungs suddenly and noisily.

    1. I need to cough, excuse me [ ] [ ]
    2. She started to cough during the lecture, so she left the room. [ ] [ ]

  2. To emit something in a sudden noisy expulsion of air.

    1. He coughed blood after the accident [ ] [ ]
    2. The old car coughed black smoke as it struggled up the hill. [ ] [ ]

Synonyms

hack whoop
cough transitive-verb

  1. To expel air from the lungs forcefully and deliberately, often to clear the throat or signal discomfort.

    1. He coughed to get her attention [ ] [ ]
    2. She coughed up the medicine quickly, because it tasted awful. [ ] [ ]

  2. To express something by coughing.

    1. She coughed her disapproval loudly [ ] [ ]
    2. He coughed an agreement when he understood all points of discussion. [ ] [ ]
cough noun

  1. An act or sound of coughing.

    1. I have a bad cough [ ] [ ]
    2. The cough was a sign of his worsening condition, we should go now [ ] [ ]

  2. An illness that makes you cough a lot.

    1. She has a terrible cough and a fever [ ] [ ]
    2. He developed a persistent cough after exposure to dust at the factory. [ ] [ ]

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "cough" in English means: To expel air from the lungs suddenly and noisily., To emit something in a sudden noisy expulsion of air..

The phonetic transcription of "cough" is /kɒf/ in British English and /kɔːf/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "cough": hack, whoop.

Example usage of "cough": "I need to cough, excuse me". More examples on the page.