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
To upgrade to the new hardware, existing Whoop users will now have to cough up, either by committing to a new 12-month membership or paying a one-time upgrade fee.
—
Julian Chokkattu, Wired News, 10 May 2025
In the standings San Diego Padres (23-13, 2nd in NL West)
The Padres began the road trip with four straight wins before the bullpen coughed up leads the last two games in the Bronx.
—Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 May 2025
The Thunder have also coughed up at least 14 turnovers in four of the last five games in this series.
—Tyler Everett, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 June 2025
With the chance to win its maiden championship, Oklahoma City coughed up 21 turnovers and committed 20 fouls.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 22 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for cough up
Julian Chokkattu, Wired News, 10 May 2025
In the standings San Diego Padres (23-13, 2nd in NL West)
The Padres began the road trip with four straight wins before the bullpen coughed up leads the last two games in the Bronx.
—Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 May 2025
The Thunder have also coughed up at least 14 turnovers in four of the last five games in this series.
—Tyler Everett, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 June 2025
With the chance to win its maiden championship, Oklahoma City coughed up 21 turnovers and committed 20 fouls.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 22 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for cough up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cough up
Verb
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This often dampens enthusiasm, and indeed, the stock relinquished some of its gains in after-hours trading.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
16 July 2025
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The residence was purchased in the 1970s for just $900,000 by the late radio concert promoter and radio station magnate Ken Roberts, who wound up relinquishing it to the financial services firm New Stream Capital in 2010 to settle a $27.5 million legal claim.—
Wendy Bowman,
Robb Report,
15 July 2025
Verb
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Chinese electric vehicles are becoming far more attractive, rendering Tesla's cars less appealing, particularly in global markets.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
7 July 2025
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The government says that services rendered while a fugitive from your master are not recognized.—
Jonquilyn Hill,
Vox,
6 July 2025
Verb
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Octavia Graham, 52, surrendered herself to authorities June 30 following a warrant for her arrest.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
7 July 2025
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However, he’s now surrendered four dingers over seven games since coming off the IL.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
4 July 2025
Verb
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This casual outpost delivers exactly what its setting promises: pizza, salads, burgers and baskets of onion rings, chicken wings and fish and chips.—
Paula Conway,
Forbes.com,
15 July 2025
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That’s no longer the case, thanks to innovations like Nova, which deliver impressive results that rival those of their less sustainable counterparts.—
Angela Velasquez,
Sourcing Journal,
15 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cough up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cough%20up. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.
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