(~s, ~ing, ~ed)
Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English.
1.
When you ~, you force air out of your throat with a sudden, harsh noise. You often ~ when you are ill, or when you are nervous or want to attract someone’s attention.
Graham began to ~ violently...
He ~ed. ‘Excuse me, Mrs Allsworthy, could I have a word?’
VERB: V, V
•
Cough is also a noun.
They were interrupted by an apologetic ~.
N-COUNT
~ing
He was then overcome by a terrible fit of ~ing.
N-UNCOUNT
2.
A ~ is an illness in which you ~ often and your chest or throat hurts.
...if you have a persistent ~ for over a month.
N-COUNT
3.
If you ~ blood or mucus, it comes up out of your throat or mouth when you ~.
I started ~ing blood so they transferred me to a hospital.
VERB: V n
•
Cough up means the same as ~ .
On the chilly seas, Keats became feverish, continually ~ing up blood.
PHRASAL VERB: V P n (not pron), also V n P