cough up

phrasal-verb
UK: /ˌkɒf ˈʌp/
US: /ˌkɔːf ˈʌp/

  1. To give something, especially money, unwillingly.

    1. I had to cough up five dollars for the ticket.
    2. The company had to cough up a lot of money to settle the lawsuit.

  2. To produce something such as information, with difficulty.

    1. He finally coughed up the secret.
    2. The suspect refused to cough up any details about the crime even under pressure.

  3. To expel phlegm or other substance from the lungs by coughing.

    1. I cough up some phlegm every morning.
    2. After quitting smoking, it took weeks to cough up all the tar from my lungs.

Synonyms

yield divulge expectorate

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "cough up" in English means: To give something, especially money, unwillingly., To produce something such as information, with difficulty., To expel phlegm or other substance from the lungs by coughing..

The phonetic transcription of "cough up" is /ˌkɒf ˈʌp/ in British English and /ˌkɔːf ˈʌp/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "cough up": yield, divulge, expectorate.

Example usage of "cough up": "I had to cough up five dollars for the ticket.". More examples on the page.