I.
noun
ADJECTIVE
▪ little , polite ( esp. BrE ), slight
▪
The butler gave a little ~ to announce his presence.
▪ violent
▪ bad , nasty , terrible
▪ mild
▪ chesty ( BrE )
▪ barking , dry , hacking , racking
▪ chronic , persistent
▪ occasional
▪ smoker's
▪
He had a smoker's ~ and nicotine-yellowed fingers.
VERB + COUGH
▪ give
▪
He gave a slight, apologetic ~ and said, ‘Excuse me.’
▪ have , suffer from
▪ catch , develop , get
▪ stifle , suppress
▪
She struggled to stifle a ~.
COUGH + NOUN
▪ drop ( esp. AmE ), medicine , mixture ( BrE ), remedy ( AmE ), suppressant , sweet ( BrE ), syrup
II.
verb
ADVERB
▪ a bit , a little , lightly , slightly
▪ weakly
▪ discreetly , politely ( esp. BrE )
▪ awkwardly , nervously , uncomfortably
▪ loudly , violently
▪ harshly
▪ uncontrollably
▪ up
▪
He vomited and began ~ing up blood.
PHRASES
▪ ~ and splutter
▪
The brandy made her ~ and splutter.
▪ a ~ing fit
▪
He had a ~ing fit and couldn't speak for a few moments.
Cough is used with these nouns as the subject: ↑ engine