cough

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA: /kɒf/
• (US) enPR: kôf, IPA: /kɔf/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Verb

Plain form cough

Third-person singular coughs

Past tense coughed

Past participle coughed

Present participle coughing

1. If you cough, you quickly blow air out and make a noise because of a feeling in the throat.

   This cold is terrible. I was coughing and sneezing all night.

   She coughed to get his attention.

Noun

Singular cough

Plural coughs

1. A cough is the action or sound of quickly blowing air out because of a feeling in the throat.

   My doctor gave me some medicine for my cough.

   Her cough was so bad that she was coughing up blood.