cough

cough — verb

1. when you cough, your body suddenly pushes air up from your chest and out through

1.verbintransitiveA1
Definition

when you cough, your body suddenly pushes air up from your chest and out through your mouth, producing a short sharp noise; this often happens because you are ill, smoke is in the air, or something is blocking your throat

Example

Inês coughed loudly during the concert and quickly covered her mouth.

intransitive + manner adverb

The smoke from the fire made Lakshmi cough for several minutes.

cause + make someone + infinitive (without to)

Common collocations
  • cough loudly
  • cough nervously
  • cough repeatedly
  • cough violently
  • cough uncontrollably
  • cough up blood
  • cough up phlegm
  • make someone cough
Synonyms
  • hack

    a rough, dry, repeated cough; more informal and implies a harsh sound

  • clear one's throat

    a gentler action done on purpose to get attention or prepare to speak, not a real cough

  • wheeze

    breathing with a whistling sound; more about difficulty breathing than a sudden cough

Grammar Patterns

cough

cough + adverb

cough up + noun

Usage Note

Usually intransitive. The transitive form appears almost only with 'up' — for example, 'cough up blood' or 'cough up phlegm.'

Common Mistakes

I cough a lot since yesterday.
I have been coughing a lot since yesterday.
Use present perfect continuous for an action that started in the past and continues.
She coughed me to wake up.
She coughed to wake me up.
'cough' cannot take a direct object meaning 'cause someone to do something.'

2. if an engine or a machine coughs, it makes a sudden rough sound that suggests it

2.verbintransitiveB1
Definition

if an engine or a machine coughs, it makes a sudden rough sound that suggests it has a problem or is about to stop

Example

The old van's engine coughed loudly before it finally stopped.

engine + coughed + before + stopped — sequence pattern

Tamar heard the generator cough and then the lights went off.

Common collocations
  • engine coughs
  • motor coughs
  • cough and die
  • cough and stop
  • cough twice
Synonyms
  • sputter

    a series of soft explosive sounds, often before an engine stops

  • backfire

    a much louder explosive sound from an engine, not a rough cough-like noise

Grammar Patterns

engine + coughs

engine + coughed + and + stopped/died

Usage Note

Describes a repeated rough noise from an engine that is struggling, often followed by the engine stopping completely. The sound is compared to a human cough because of its short, explosive quality.

Phrasal verbs

cough up

phrasal verb

to force something out of your lungs or throat by coughing

Amelia coughed up a small piece of food that was stuck in her throat.

The doctor told Femi to cough up the phlegm so it could be tested.

cough something up

phrasal verb

to give money or provide information unwillingly, often after pressure

The insurance company finally coughed up the money for the repairs.

Tamar's brother coughed up the truth after the police asked him again.

cough — noun

Word family

  • coughing
    nounB1
  • cougher
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All three describe actions involving the throat or lungs, but they differ in sound, cause, and purpose. 'Cough' is the general term — a sudden, loud expulsion of air. 'Hack' suggests a dry, rough, repeated cough, often from irritation or illness; it is more informal and sounds harsher ('The old man hacked all night long'). 'Clear one's throat' is voluntary and gentle — you do it on purpose to get someone's attention or before speaking, not because you are ill ('The teacher cleared his throat and began the lesson'). 'Wheeze' describes a high-pitched whistling sound during breathing, usually from asthma or a blocked airway; it is not a cough, but a sign that breathing is difficult. To illustrate: 'After the race, Lakshmi coughed to catch her breath; the man next to her wheezed through an inhaler, while a woman in the audience hacked from the smoke in the air.'

hack ↗clear one's throat ↗wheeze

Common collocations

Phrases

  • cough and splutter
  • cough and choke

Prepositions

  • cough from (smoke / dust / an illness)

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

The word 'cough' comes from Old English *cohhian*, which was created to imitate the sound of a person coughing. Similar sound-imitating words exist in many other languages, such as German *husten* and Dutch *hoesten*.