cough
IPA: kˈɑf
noun
- A sudden, often involuntary expulsion of air from the lungs through the glottis (causing a short, explosive sound), and out through the mouth.
- A bout of repeated coughing (verb sense 2.1); also, a medical condition that causes one to cough.
- (figurative) A noise or sound like a cough (sense 1).
verb
- (transitive)
- 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.
- To cause (oneself or something) to be in a certain condition in the manner described in sense 1.1.
- To express (words, etc.) in the manner described in sense 1.1.
- (figurative)
- To surrender (information); to confess.
- (originally US, slang) Chiefly followed by up: to give up or hand over (something); especially, to pay up (money).
- (intransitive)
- To push air from the lungs through the glottis (causing a short, explosive sound) and out through the mouth, usually to expel something blocking or irritating the airway.
- To make a noise like a cough.
- (originally US, slang) To surrender information; to confess, to spill the beans.
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Examples of "cough" in Sentences
- A dry, fitful coughing develops.
- The cough and congestion subside.
- He coughed after puffing cigarettes.
- I was guided by the coughing of the audience.
- Coughing and sneezing can intensify the pain.
- The symptoms are shortness of breath and cough.
- He coughed harshly and spat copiously on the ground.
- It acts on the cough center in the medulla oblongata.
- Potts is a smoker himself and has the cough to prove it.
- Please pass the * cough cough* Log Cabin for these pancakes.
- I knew it when I was 13, i'm * cough, cough* in my 30's now.
- Home remedies can help prevent asthma attacks and treat symptoms like coughing.
- Oh, and might I add * cough cough* OnlineDatingProfiler. com was designed by Harry of ….
- Man, that's Derek Jeter coming off the bench to hit for Miguel Cairo * cough Go Yanks * cough*
- Republican entitlement, yea cause rich democrats dont feel entitlement ... * cough cough* kennedys * ahem
- Funny, I was just thinking about him and how we gave ol Eric a hard time about his lack of posting about Sen.Obama. ** cough, cough** His bias for HRC.
- If you doubt his committment to Democratic values, please, look into his life-story a little bit: voter registration (* cough Clinton suppression cough*), civil rights law, community organizing, powerfully against the war when it mattered, against lobbying interests, against police abuses.
- A cultural critic with a big vocabulary and lots of op-ed real estate could write a hell of an essay about how these two white performers deal with race -- and what their different approaches reveal about their generations 'sensibilities. (* cough cough* Frank Rich call me at 1-800-IDEA-4YOU!)
- If Bush goes Major Kong before or during the early primaries, it would have the further consequence of cementing the nominations for Clinton and Giuliani, who have become the "tough on terror" candidates for their respective parties -- though in certain cases (* cough, Giuliani, cough*), puzzlingly so.
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