What does "cough" mean?
A sudden, often involuntary expulsion of air from the lungs through the glottis (causing a short, explosive sound), and out through the mouth.
Cough
/kɒf/ intj, noun, verb, slang
intj, noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A sudden, often involuntary expulsion of air from the lungs through the glottis (causing a short, explosive sound), and out through the mouth.
- Grammar: cough is listed as intj, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: ahem, aqua lung, aqua-lung, artificial respiration.
- Useful contrasts: calm, direct assertion, inhale.
- Usage evidence: Do you have any cough medicine?
How to use "cough"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "cough" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "cough" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "cough" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "cough" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "cough" is acting as intj, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "ahem" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
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Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "cough", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A sudden, often involuntary expulsion of air from the lungs through the glottis (causing a short, explosive sound), and out through the mouth.
"Behind me, I heard a distinct, dry cough."
- 2 a sudden noisy expulsion of air from the lungs that clears the air passages; a common symptom of upper respiratory infection or bronchitis or pneumonia or tuberculosis wordnet
- 3 A bout of repeated coughing (verb etymology 1 sense 2.1); also, a medical condition that causes one to cough.
"whooping cough"
- 4 A noise or sound like a cough (etymology 2 sense 1). figuratively
- 5 A vocalisation from a bird or other animal resembling a human cough.
Verb
- 1 Sometimes followed by up: to force (something) out of the lungs or throat by pushing air from the lungs through the glottis (causing a short, explosive sound), and out through the mouth. transitive
"Sometimes she coughed up blood."
- 2 exhale abruptly, as when one has a chest cold or congestion wordnet
- 3 To cause (oneself or something) to be in a certain condition in the manner described in etymology 1 sense 1.1. transitive
"He almost coughed himself into a fit."
- 4 To express (words, etc.) in the manner described in etymology 1 sense 1.1. transitive
"No ſtationary ſteeds / Cough their ovvn knell, vvhile heedleſs of the ſound / The ſilent circle fan themſelves, and quake."
- 5 To surrender (information); to confess. figuratively, transitive
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 Chiefly followed by up: to give up or hand over (something); especially, to pay up (money). figuratively, slang, transitive
"By the time you get back the men will all be striking out for the fire, and we'll break for the house and collar the dollars. Everybody cough up what matches he's got."
- 7 To push air from the lungs through the glottis (causing a short, explosive sound) and out through the mouth, usually to expel something blocking or irritating the airway. intransitive
"I breathed in a lungful of smoke by mistake, and started to cough."
- 8 To make a noise like a cough. intransitive
"The engine coughed and sputtered."
- 9 To surrender information; to confess, to spill the beans. intransitive, slang
Intj
- 1 Used to represent the sound of a cough (noun sense 1), especially when focusing attention on a following utterance, often an attribution of blame or a euphemism: ahem.
"He was—cough—indisposed."
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"Do you have any cough medicine?"
Common questions
What is a synonym for "cough"?
Common synonyms include: ahem, aqua lung, aqua-lung, artificial respiration, aspiration, asthmatic wheeze.
How do you use "cough" in a sentence?
Do you have any cough medicine?
How do you pronounce "cough"?
Pronounced /kɒf/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English coughen, coghen (“to cough; to vomit”) [and other forms], from Old English *cohhian (compare Old English cohhetan (“to bluster; to riot; to cough (?)”)), from Proto-West Germanic *kuh- (“to cough”), ultimately of onomatopoeic origin. Cognates * Middle Dutch cuchen (“to cough”) (modern Dutch kuchen (“to cough”); German Low German kuchen (“to cough”)) * Middle High German kûchen (“to breathe (on); to exhale”), kîchen (“to breathe with difficulty”) (modern German keichen, keuchen (“to breathe with difficulty; to gasp, pant”)) * Spanish cof (“coughing sound”) * West Frisian kiche (“to cough”), kochelje (“to cough persistently”)
Etymology 2
The noun is derived from Middle English cough (“a cough; illness causing coughing”) [and other forms], from coughen (verb): see etymology 1. The interjection is probably derived from the noun.