cough up

verb

coughed up; coughing up; coughs up

transitive verb

1

: hand over, deliver

cough up the money

2

: to lose possession of (a ball or puck) during a game

the quarterback coughed up the ball

Synonyms

• cede
• deliver
• give up
• hand over
• lay down
• relinquish
• render
• surrender
• turn in
• turn over
• yield

Examples of cough up in a Sentence

finally got my brother to cough up the dough he owed me

Recent Examples on the Web

Philip Tong had a history of diabetes and, according to the lawsuit, was having trouble breathing and was coughing up blood. —Salvador Hernandez, Los Angeles Times, 18 Dec. 2024

At points, the talks appeared on the brink of collapse, with developing nations storming out of meetings and threatening to walk away should rich nations not cough up more cash. —Afp, Fortune, 23 Nov. 2024

After coughing up a 21-7 third-quarter lead and giving up a go-ahead touchdown pass from Lamar Jackson to Rashod Bateman with just under two minutes left, the Bengals stunningly drove down the field to score a touchdown of their own with 42 seconds left. —C.j. Doon, Baltimore Sun, 8 Nov. 2024

Mickey Lolich won the opener, 5-0, and the Tigers’ bullpen coughed up six runs in the eighth inning as the Angels won the second game, 8-6. —Chuck Murr, Forbes, 24 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1890, in the meaning defined at sense 1