cough
cough Lexical Profile
cough Game Scores & Validity
• noun
An act or sound of expelling air from the lungs with a sudden, sharp noise, often to clear the airways.
"She gave a polite cough to catch the speaker's attention before asking her question."
A respiratory condition or symptom characterized by frequent or persistent coughing.
"The child developed a stubborn winter cough that lasted for two weeks."
• verb
To expel air from the lungs with a sudden, sharp sound.
"He began to cough after inhaling the dusty air in the attic."
To make a sudden, sputtering, or irregular noise resembling a human cough (especially of an engine or machine).
"The old tractor's engine coughed twice before finally roaring to life."
• Rhymes for cough
Word Origin & Etymology
From Middle English coughen, related to Old English cohhetan ('to shout or cough'), of imitative Germanic origin mimicking the sound of clearing the throat.