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

At one point, Layla gets swindled into coughing up $800 for a fake ticket, which seems like…a bit much? —Stephanie McNeal, Glamour, 27 Nov. 2024

Deion Sanders and Colorado coughed up control of their destiny in the Big 12 title race, now needing a minor miracle to reach the Playoff. —David Ubben, The Athletic, 25 Nov. 2024

Sean Martin lines up at quarterback for Dunnellon but coughs up the ball and the Tigers fail to convert on 4th and 6. —Staff Reports, Orlando Sentinel, 23 Nov. 2024

Swedish citizens can expect to cough up no more than 18,000 euros (less than $20,000) for sanctions violations, while Dutch citizens may be fined up to 900,000 euros (nearly $1 million). —Agathe Demarais, Foreign Affairs, 14 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1890, in the meaning defined at sense 1