1 C1 informal
To cause a speaker to stop or lose their audience by coughing loudly and persistently during their speech.
"The restless audience practically coughed the lecturer down before he reached his conclusion."
separable
cough down
C1 informal separable transitive
To silence or disrupt a speaker by coughing loudly.
In plain English
To stop someone from being heard by coughing a lot while they speak.
What does "cough down" mean?
One main meaning — here's how to use it.
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To use coughing as a means to bring someone down — mostly transparent.
Actually means
To stop someone from being heard by coughing a lot while they speak.
Usage tip
Extremely rare. Not found in standard dictionaries as a set phrase. Most likely used literally — an audience coughing so much that a speaker cannot be heard. Learners should note this is not a standard phrasal verb.
Words that pair with "cough down"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
speaker presenter performer audience
How to conjugate "cough down"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
cough down
I/you/we/they
3rd person
coughs down
he/she/it
Past simple
coughed down
yesterday
Past participle
coughed down
have + pp
-ing form
coughing down
continuous
Hear "cough down" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "cough down" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
Keep exploring
Jump to every phrasal verb built on the same verb, particle, or level.