cough
Pronunciation:
/kɑf//kɒf//kɔf/noun
Definitions
A sudden, usually noisy expulsion of air from the lungs, often involuntary.
Example: Behind me, I heard a distinct, dry cough.
A condition that causes one to cough; a tendency to cough.
Example: Sorry, I can't come to work today – I've got a nasty cough.
Used to focus attention on a following utterance, often a euphemism or an attribution of blame
Example: He was – cough – indisposed.
verb
Definitions
To push air from the lungs in a quick, noisy explosion.
Example: I breathed in a lungful of smoke by mistake, and started to cough.
(sometimes followed by "up") To force something out of the throat or lungs by coughing.
Example: Sometimes she coughed (up) blood.
To make a noise like a cough.
Example: The engine coughed and sputtered.