as in to relinquish
to give (something) over to the control or possession of another usually under duress
finally got my brother to cough up the dough he owed me
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Recent Examples of cough up
Treinen gave up four consecutive hits in the seventh inning, failed to retire a batter and coughed up a Dodger lead.
—
Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 19 Apr. 2026
Her aim is to make enough money to afford the fifty-thousand-dollar wedding floral arrangements that Nate is reluctant to cough up the dough for.
—Naomi Fry, New Yorker, 18 Apr. 2026
Nike director Tim Cook and CEO Elliott Hill coughed up about $1 million each in another round of insider stock buying.
—Natasha Abellard, CNBC, 15 Apr. 2026
McIlroy coughed up a six-shot lead in the third round.
—CBS News, 13 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for cough up
Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 19 Apr. 2026
Her aim is to make enough money to afford the fifty-thousand-dollar wedding floral arrangements that Nate is reluctant to cough up the dough for.
—Naomi Fry, New Yorker, 18 Apr. 2026
Nike director Tim Cook and CEO Elliott Hill coughed up about $1 million each in another round of insider stock buying.
—Natasha Abellard, CNBC, 15 Apr. 2026
McIlroy coughed up a six-shot lead in the third round.
—CBS News, 13 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for cough up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cough up
Verb
-
This suggests that Bronze Age individuals relinquished pieces of their wealth as a sacred offering.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
25 Apr. 2026
-
But desire refuses to relinquish its demands.—
Alexandra Schwartz,
New Yorker,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Deputies rendered medical aid; however, one man and the woman succumbed to their injuries and were pronounced dead at the scene.—
Karen Garcia,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Perhaps Pfleger would be well advised to stick to his faith and his flock and to render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s, rather than to continue to pontificate from the pulpit — or even the paper.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
After the Chiricahua Apache surrendered in 1886, the land became home to a family of Swedish immigrant settlers, the Ericksons.—
Staff Author,
Travel + Leisure,
1 May 2026
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The use of the term caused alarm as international humanitarian law explicitly forbids armed forces from denying enemy combatants to surrender and instead killing them.—
Christopher Cann,
USA Today,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The speed with which some fan confidence in him has eroded was, nevertheless, unprecedented considering no Liverpool manager (or in Slot’s case, head coach) has delivered the league title at the end of their first season since Kenny Dalglish in 1985-86.—
Simon Hughes,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
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Step back, decide what needs to be said, and deliver it once with clarity and control.—
Tarot.com,
Baltimore Sun,
27 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cough up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cough%20up. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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