Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Cough
Cough
(k?f)
, Verb.
I.
[
imp. & p. p.
Coughed
(k?ft)
; p. pr. & vb. n.
Coughing
.] [Cf. D.
kuchen
, MHG. k[GREEK]chen
to breathe, G. keuchen
to pant, and E. chincough
, the first part of which is prob. akin to cough
; cf. also E. choke
.] To expel air, or obstructing or irritating matter, from the lungs or air passages, in a noisy and violent manner.
Cough
,Verb.
T.
1.
To expel from the lungs or air passages by coughing; – followed by up;
as, to
. cough
up phlegm2.
To bring to a specified state by coughing;
as, he
. coughed
himself hoarseTo cough down
, to silence or put down (an objectionable speaker) by simulated coughing.
1.
A sudden, noisy, and violent expulsion of air from the chest, caused by irritation in the air passages, or by the reflex action of nervous or gastric disorder, etc.
2.
The more or less frequent repetition of coughing, constituting a symptom of disease.
Stomach cough
, Ear cough
cough due to irritation in the stomach or ear.
Webster 1828 Edition
Cough
COUGH
,Noun.
COUGH
,Verb.
I.
COUGH
,Verb.
T.
Definition 2024
cough
cough
English
Verb
cough (third-person singular simple present coughs, present participle coughing, simple past and past participle coughed)
- (intransitive) To push air from the lungs in a quick, noisy explosion.
- 1918, W. B. Maxwell, chapter 3, in The Mirror and the Lamp:
- One saint's day in mid-term a certain newly appointed suffragan-bishop came to the school chapel, and there preached on “The Inner Life.” He at once secured attention by his informal method, and when presently the coughing of Jarvis […] interrupted the sermon, he altogether captivated his audience with a remark about cough lozenges being cheap and easily procurable.
- 1960, P. G. Wodehouse, Jeeves in the Offing, chapter XI:
- I drew a deep breath, and a moment later wished I hadn't, because I drew it while drinking the remains of my gin and tonic. “Does Kipper know of this?“ I said, when I had finished coughing.
- I breathed in a lungful of smoke by mistake, and started to cough.
-
- (transitive, sometimes followed by "up") To force something out of the throat or lungs by coughing.
- Sometimes she coughed (up) blood.
- (intransitive) To make a noise like a cough.
- The engine coughed and sputtered.
Derived terms
Translations
push air from the lungs
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make a noise like a cough
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Noun
cough (plural coughs)
| Examples |
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- A sudden, usually noisy expulsion of air from the lungs, often involuntary.
- Behind me, I heard a distinct, dry cough.
- A condition that causes one to cough; a tendency to cough.
- Sorry, I can't come to work today – I've got a nasty cough.
- Used to focus attention on a following utterance, often a euphemism or an attribution of blame
- He was – cough – indisposed.
Hyponyms
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Derived terms
Translations
expulsion of air from the lungs
|
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condition that causes one to cough