as in relinquished
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 coughed up
With Doval on a short leash, Blackburn entered and eventually coughed up the winning run.
—
Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 31 Mar. 2026
The Angels coughed up a 6-4 lead and took a 9-7 loss to the Houston Astros on Sunday that left them with a split of the four-game set in Houston.
—Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026
The Bruins coughed up a 2-0 first period lead to an also-ran New Jersey Devils and lost 4-3 in overtime.
—Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 17 Mar. 2026
Other local politicians have also coughed up remarkably few text messages in response to public records requests.
—Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2026
The Wolverines coughed up 14 total turnovers, which led to 14 points for the Gophers, and that helped Minnesota keep it closer.
—Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 25 Feb. 2026
The last time these teams met, the Miami Heat coughed up a 19-point lead in a loss to the Boston Celtics.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 7 Feb. 2026
Even taking into account the buy-out clauses Abramovich paid Porto to hire Villas-Boas and Clearlake and its partners coughed up for Brighton’s Graham Potter, coaches do not cost anywhere near as much as players.
—James Horncastle, New York Times, 27 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
Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 31 Mar. 2026
The Angels coughed up a 6-4 lead and took a 9-7 loss to the Houston Astros on Sunday that left them with a split of the four-game set in Houston.
—Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026
The Bruins coughed up a 2-0 first period lead to an also-ran New Jersey Devils and lost 4-3 in overtime.
—Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 17 Mar. 2026
Other local politicians have also coughed up remarkably few text messages in response to public records requests.
—Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2026
The Wolverines coughed up 14 total turnovers, which led to 14 points for the Gophers, and that helped Minnesota keep it closer.
—Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 25 Feb. 2026
The last time these teams met, the Miami Heat coughed up a 19-point lead in a loss to the Boston Celtics.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 7 Feb. 2026
Even taking into account the buy-out clauses Abramovich paid Porto to hire Villas-Boas and Clearlake and its partners coughed up for Brighton’s Graham Potter, coaches do not cost anywhere near as much as players.
—James Horncastle, New York Times, 27 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for coughed up
Verb
-
Coughlin was in a three-way tie for the lead after the first round and never relinquished that position as others fell off.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
6 Apr. 2026
-
Simmons was set to be Ole Miss’ starter in 2025, but an early-season ankle injury derailed that, and Trinidad Chambliss took over and never relinquished the job.—
Sam Khan Jr,
New York Times,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Try taking a census of the immobilized population of Los Angeles — otherwise known as our civic statues, rendered in metal or stone.—
Patt Morrison,
Los Angeles Times,
2 Apr. 2026
-
After Colon was shot, cops rendered first aid and called for an ambulance.—
Theodore Parisienne,
New York Daily News,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Many of those animals are surrendered when their owners can no longer properly care for them, an issue that Alessandro Catenazzi, associate professor of biological science at Florida International University, stressed.—
Julian Camejo,
Miami Herald,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Lukáš Dostál surrendered six goals on 29 shots, with culpability to spread around between him and his defense.—
Andrew Knoll,
Oc Register,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Four consecutive two-out hits opened a 3-0 lead for Kansas City in the second inning as Isaac Collins, Isbel and Maikel Garcia delivered RBIs.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
2 Apr. 2026
-
South Carolina delivered UConn its first loss in an NCAA title game in 2022, and the Huskies returned the favor last season with an 82-59 blowout to secure their first championship since 2016.—
Emily Adams,
Hartford Courant,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
When a president leaves office, the Presidential Records Act requires material to be turned over to the National Archives, which maintains the documents.—
Melissa Quinn,
CBS News,
2 Apr. 2026
-
While at the hospital, the child was showing signs of life, and the investigation was turned over to CMPD’s Youth Crime detectives.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Baiamonte was also on the Kaseya Center microphone for one of the most memorable performances in NBA history this season, when Heat center Bam Adebayo turned in the second-highest scoring performance in league history by totaling 83 points in a March 10 home win over the Wizards.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
3 Apr. 2026
-
In the bullpen, RHP Garrett Whitlock has turned in three scoreless appearances while RHP Greg Weissert has allowed three runs in 2⅔ innings.—
Jeff Sanders,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The teen was handed over to Milpitas police detectives to be booked into Santa Clara County Juvenile Hall.—
Carlos E. Castañeda,
CBS News,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Diplomacy has been handed over to the president’s real-estate friend Steven Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner, neither of whom know the first thing about war.—
Eliot A. Cohen,
The Atlantic,
1 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Coughed up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/coughed%20up. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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