no obj.
1- expel air from the lungs with a sudden sharp sound咳; 咳嗽。
1.1
- (of an engine) make a sudden harsh noise, especially as a sign of malfunction（尤指机器出现故障时）发出喀喀声。
1.2
- with obj. force (something, especially blood) out of the lungs or throat by coughing咳出（尤指血）：
he coughed up bloodstained fluid.
他咳出了血痰。
1.3
- with obj.
cough something out
say something in a harsh, abrupt way厉声说出： he coughed out his orders.
他严厉地下达了命令。
1.4
- Brit. informal reveal information; confess〈英, 非正式〉透露情报; 供认：
once he realized we knew he was ready to cough fast enough.
他一旦意识到我们已经知道了, 就立刻供认不讳。
1
- an act or sound of coughing咳嗽; 咳嗽声：
she gave a discreet cough.
她小心地咳嗽了一下。
1.1
- a condition of the respiratory organs causing coughing咳嗽病：
he looked feverish and had a bad cough.
他看上去发烧了并且咳嗽得很厉害。
词源
Middle English: of imitative origin; related to Dutch kuchen 'to cough' and German keuchen 'to pant'.
短语动词
cough something up（或 cough up）
- give something reluctantly, especially money or information that is due or required勉强拿出; 勉强给出（尤指到期的钱或需要的信息）。