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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 phlegm
.
2.
To bring to a specified state by coughing;
as, he
coughed
himself hoarse
.
To cough down
,
to silence or put down (an objectionable speaker) by simulated coughing.

Cough

,
Noun.
[Cg. D.
kuch
. See
Cough
,
Verb.
I.
]
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.
A violent effort of the lungs to throw off offending matter; a violent, sometimes involuntary, and sonorous expiration, suddenly expelling the air through the glottis. The convulsion of the muscles serving for exspiration gives great force to the air, while the contraction of the glottis produces the sound. The air forced violently carries along with it the phlegm or irritating matter which causes the convulsion or effort of the muscles.

COUGH

,
Verb.
I.
To have the lungs convulsed; to make a violent effort with noise to expel the air from the lungs, and evacuate any offending matter that irritates the parts or renders respiration difficult.

COUGH

,
Verb.
T.
To expel from the lungs by a convulsive effort with noise; to expectorate; followed by up; as, to cough up phlegm.

Definition 2024


cough

cough

English

Verb

cough (third-person singular simple present coughs, present participle coughing, simple past and past participle coughed)

  1. (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.
  2. (transitive, sometimes followed by "up") To force something out of the throat or lungs by coughing.
    Sometimes she coughed (up) blood.
  3. (intransitive) To make a noise like a cough.
    The engine coughed and sputtered.

Derived terms

Translations

Noun

cough (plural coughs)

Examples
  1. A sudden, usually noisy expulsion of air from the lungs, often involuntary.
    Behind me, I heard a distinct, dry cough.
  2. 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.
  3. Used to focus attention on a following utterance, often a euphemism or an attribution of blame
    He was – cough – indisposed.

Hyponyms

  • loose cough
  • non-productive cough
  • productive cough
  • smoker's cough
  • wet cough

Derived terms

Translations