Expectorate

//ɪkˈspɛktəɹeɪt// verb

verb ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Verb
  1. 1
    To cough up fluid from the lungs. ambitransitive

    "These rules are equally applicable to pneumonia and perhaps also to bronchitis. It will, therefore, be best to call them, not rules for consumptives, but for all persons who cough and expectorate ."

  2. 2
    discharge (phlegm or sputum) from the lungs and out of the mouth wordnet
  3. 3
    To spit. ambitransitive
  4. 4
    clear out the chest and lungs wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
spitclear outcough outcough updribbledrive out

Example

More examples

"These rules are equally applicable to pneumonia and perhaps also to bronchitis. It will, therefore, be best to call them, not rules for consumptives, but for all persons who cough and expectorate ."

Etymology

From Latin expectorātus, past participle of expectorō (“(only figurative) banish from the mind; (post-classical) expel from the breast)”), from ex (“out of”) + pectus (“the breast”).

More for "expectorate"

SynonymsSentencesPronunciationTranslate

Next best steps

Find stronger synonymsSee usage examplesCheck pronunciationBrowse writing guides

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.