cough C₃O₁U₁G₂H₄

Verb 4 meanings

1. Sometimes followed by up: to force (something) out of the lungs or throat by pushing air from the lungs through the glottis (causing a short, explosive sound), and out through the mouth.

   “Sometimes she coughed up blood.”

2. To cause (oneself or something) to be in a certain condition in the manner described in etymology 1 sense 1.1.

   “He almost coughed himself into a fit.”

3. To express (words, etc.) in the manner described in etymology 1 sense 1.1.

4. To surrender (information); to confess.

Noun 4 meanings

1. A sudden, often involuntary expulsion of air from the lungs through the glottis (causing a short, explosive sound), and out through the mouth.

   “Behind me, I heard a distinct, dry cough.”

2. A bout of repeated coughing (verb etymology 1 sense 2.1); also, a medical condition that causes one to cough.

   “whooping cough”

3. A noise or sound like a cough (etymology 2, noun sense 1).

4. A vocalisation from a bird or other animal resembling a human cough.

Interjection 1 meaning

1. Used to represent the sound of a cough (noun sense 1), especially when focusing attention on a following utterance, often an attribution of blame or a euphemism: ahem.

   “He was—cough—indisposed.”

Similar and opposite words

• THROUGH₁₄
• ENOUGH₁₀
• THOUGH₁₃
• ALTHOUGH₁₅
• TOUGH₉
• LAUGH₉
• ROUGH₉
• THOROUGH₁₅
• DOUGH₁₀
• BOROUGH₁₃
• BREAKTHROUGH₂₅
• TROUGH₁₀

• TOUGH₉
• ROUGH₉
• COUCH₁₂
• DOUGH₁₀
• HOUGH₁₂
• LOUGH₉
• BOUGH₁₁
• SOUGH₉
• COUTH₁₀