coughing

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
cough/kɒf/

▶verb

• 1 expel air from the lungs with a sudden sharp sound.

• 2 (of an engine) make a sudden harsh noise, especially as a sign of malfunction.

• 3 (cough up) informal give something, especially money, reluctantly.

  ■ Brit. reveal information; confess.

▶noun an act or sound of coughing.

■ a condition of the respiratory organs causing coughing.

– derivatives
cougher noun.

– origin ME: of imitative origin.