coughed; coughing; coughs
1
: to expel air from the lungs suddenly with a sharp, short noise : to emit a cough (see cough entry 2 sense 1)
The dust made him cough repeatedly.
2
: to make a noise like that of coughing
The engine coughed and sputtered and then stopped.
: to expel by coughing
—often used with up
cough up mucus
1
: a sudden, sharp-sounding expulsion of air from the lungs acting as a protective mechanism to clear the air passages or as a symptom of pulmonary disturbance
2
: a condition marked by repeated or frequent coughing
She has a bad cough.
Examples of cough in a Sentence
Verb
She was coughing and sneezing all day.
The dust made him cough.
The engine coughed and sputtered and then stopped.
Noun
He has a cough and a cold.
They both have bad coughs.
I heard a cough from the back of the church.
Recent Examples on the Web
Aaron Valdez, The Enquirer, 30 Oct. 2024
Many people can be contagious up to two weeks after coughing.
—Sam Tupper, CNN, 18 Oct. 2024
Brandi Jones, Msn-Ed, Health, 31 Oct. 2024
That means a kid could get it if an infected person coughs or sneezes around them, Michael Chang, MD, an infectious disease physician at UTHealth Houston, tells SELF.
—Korin Miller, SELF, 30 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for cough 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Verb
Struggling to breathe, vomiting during coughing fits and fatigue are also severe symptoms of the disease.
—Aaron Valdez, The Enquirer, 30 Oct. 2024
Many people can be contagious up to two weeks after coughing.
—Sam Tupper, CNN, 18 Oct. 2024
Noun
These viruses cause similar symptoms, including a runny nose, congestion, cough, or sore throat.
—Brandi Jones, Msn-Ed, Health, 31 Oct. 2024
That means a kid could get it if an infected person coughs or sneezes around them, Michael Chang, MD, an infectious disease physician at UTHealth Houston, tells SELF.
—Korin Miller, SELF, 30 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for cough
Video
A Look at Uncommon Onomatopoeia
Some imitative words are more surprising than others
Dictionary Entries Near cough
Cite this Entry
“Cough.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cough. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
cough
1 of 2 verb1
: to force air from the lungs with a sharp short noise or series of noises
2
: to get rid of by coughing
cough up mucus
3
: to make a noise like that of coughing
an engine coughing and sputtering
cough
2 of 2 noun1
: a condition marked by repeated or frequent coughing
2
: an act or sound of coughing
Medical Definition
cough
1 of 2 intransitive verb
: to expel air from the lungs suddenly with a sharp, short noise usually in a series of efforts
: to expel by coughing
—often used with up
cough up mucus
cough
2 of 2 noun1
: a condition marked by repeated, frequent coughing
he has a bad cough
2
: a sudden, sharp-sounding expulsion of air from the lungs acting as a protective mechanism to clear the air passages or as a symptom of pulmonary disturbance
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