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
Saima S. Iqbal, Scientific American, 26 Sep. 2024
Respiratory infections can also cause other symptoms, such as headaches, a runny nose, coughing, sneezing, and fatigue.4
Voice Misuse
Some people develop aphonia due to the strain of talking loudly, yelling, or screaming too much.
—Mark Gurarie, Health, 14 Sep. 2024
Brenda Goodman, CNN, 20 Sep. 2024
The two men did a thorough exam of Noel, noting a cough, fever, swollen lymph nodes, a slight heart murmur, and scars on his legs from recurrent ulcers.
—Maryn McKenna, Scientific American, 17 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for cough 
Verb
And in addition to contaminated surfaces or dirty food and water, the virus also spreads from person to person via sneezing and coughing—a route of transmission that could play a large role in cramped refugee camps.
—Saima S. Iqbal, Scientific American, 26 Sep. 2024
Respiratory infections can also cause other symptoms, such as headaches, a runny nose, coughing, sneezing, and fatigue.4
Voice Misuse
Some people develop aphonia due to the strain of talking loudly, yelling, or screaming too much.
—Mark Gurarie, Health, 14 Sep. 2024
Noun
Whooping cough starts with symptoms that look a lot like a regular cold: a runny nose, sneezing, a low-grade fever and a tickly cough.
—Brenda Goodman, CNN, 20 Sep. 2024
The two men did a thorough exam of Noel, noting a cough, fever, swollen lymph nodes, a slight heart murmur, and scars on his legs from recurrent ulcers.
—Maryn McKenna, Scientific American, 17 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for cough
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cough.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Dictionary Entries Near cough
Cite this Entry
“Cough.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cough. Accessed 8 Oct. 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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