cough out
B2 neutral separable transitive
In simple words
To push something out of your throat by coughing.
Literal meaning: To use a cough to force something outward — fully transparent.
Meanings
1 B1 neutral
To expel something (such as mucus, smoke, or a foreign object) from the throat or lungs by coughing.
"He bent over and coughed out the smoke he had accidentally inhaled."
Grammar: separable
2 B2 neutral
To manage to say something while coughing, often with great effort.
"Through her fit of coughing, she managed to cough out a few words of thanks."
Grammar: separable
Usage notes
Less common than 'cough up'. Used both literally (expelling mucus or an object) and figuratively (managing to say something while coughing). Chiefly descriptive.
Commonly used with
blood words smoke phlegm warning name
Forms
Base
cough out
I/you/we/they
3rd person
coughs out
he/she/it
Past simple
coughed out
yesterday
Past participle
coughed out
have + pp
-ing form
coughing out
continuous
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