as in to relinquish
to give (something) over to the control or possession of another usually under duress
finally got my brother to cough up the dough he owed me
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Recent Examples of cough up
Previous health concerns In March, Aaron was rushed to the hospital in California after coughing up blood, but a cause of the symptoms was never publicly revealed.
—
Irene Wright, USA Today, 27 Jan. 2026
This can be helpful for those who don't have a ton of cash — or can't afford to cough up much for closing costs and fees in today's rising-cost market.
—Aly J Yale, CBS News, 26 Jan. 2026
The true nature of Colby’s identity and place in the community, however, is coughed up late into the film via a predictable twist that generates broad laughs but feels below a filmmaker of Decker’s intelligence.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 26 Jan. 2026
Countries will have to cough up at least $1 billion in order to secure a permanent seat on the board, according to a draft charter, while other members will have three-year terms.
—Chad De Guzman, Time, 19 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for cough up
Irene Wright, USA Today, 27 Jan. 2026
This can be helpful for those who don't have a ton of cash — or can't afford to cough up much for closing costs and fees in today's rising-cost market.
—Aly J Yale, CBS News, 26 Jan. 2026
The true nature of Colby’s identity and place in the community, however, is coughed up late into the film via a predictable twist that generates broad laughs but feels below a filmmaker of Decker’s intelligence.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 26 Jan. 2026
Countries will have to cough up at least $1 billion in order to secure a permanent seat on the board, according to a draft charter, while other members will have three-year terms.
—Chad De Guzman, Time, 19 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for cough up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cough up
Verb
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His father refused to relinquish his grudge, as Dreher saw it, and his mother always went along with her husband.—
Robert F. Worth,
The Atlantic,
13 Feb. 2026
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Notable sellers include Bruce Springsteen, who in 2021 made a deal with Sony Music Entertainment to relinquish his master recordings and songs for $500 million.—
Malia Mendez,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Officers rendered aid until emergency services arrived, and the boy was taken to UofL Hospital.—
Caroline Neal,
Louisville Courier Journal,
10 Feb. 2026
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Les Archives, located in Paris’ 6th arrondissement, is a secondhand designer store rendered entirely in millennial pink.—
Leah Dolan,
CNN Money,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Concerned about the safety of two children in the home, Aljorna and Sosa-Celis surrendered.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
14 Feb. 2026
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Arizona recently surrendered about a third of its allotted supply of the river through both mandatory and compensated voluntary cuts to keep Lake Mead from going dry.—
N'dea Yancey-Bragg,
USA Today,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Keys delivered a flurry of winners to steal that set in a tiebreak, before pulling away.—
James Hansen,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
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However, Musk is known for delivering bold statements and shifting timelines.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cough up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cough%20up. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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