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
Sheah Rarback,
Miami Herald,
2 July 2026
After coughing for a few seconds and then wiping some water from his eyes, Styles eventually got back on his feet.
—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
28 June 2026
Thomas Tracy,
New York Daily News,
4 July 2026
Amazon has deals on the exact brands the multi-hyphenate wears and raves about, plus pieces pulled straight from her playbook (cough, her Instagram, cough).
—
Annie Blackman,
InStyle,
3 July 2026
See All Example Sentences for cough
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Verb
Again, the food was sitting out for a while, and who knows who might have been coughing on it.
—
Sheah Rarback,
Miami Herald,
2 July 2026
After coughing for a few seconds and then wiping some water from his eyes, Styles eventually got back on his feet.
—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
28 June 2026
Noun
Symptoms resemble other types of pneumonia and can include fever, chills, muscle aches, and cough.
—
Thomas Tracy,
New York Daily News,
4 July 2026
Amazon has deals on the exact brands the multi-hyphenate wears and raves about, plus pieces pulled straight from her playbook (cough, her Instagram, cough).
—
Annie Blackman,
InStyle,
3 July 2026
See All Example Sentences for cough
Video
A Look at Uncommon Onomatopoeia
Some imitative words are more surprising than others
Cite this Entry
“Cough.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cough. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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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