cough up verb7 •To expel from the lungs, throat, stomach, etc. by coughing.He was coughing up blood.He was coughing up a lung. •(informal) To reluctantly or unwillingly give. •(informal) Of money: to pay or disburse reluctantly.Do you think he'll be able to cough up the three grand by Tuesday? •(informal) Of other objects: to hand over, give.By the time you get back the men will all be striking out for the fire, and we ’ll break for the house and collar the dollars. Everybody cough up what matches he ’s got. — 1909 •(informal, slang) To confess; to give up information. •To lose a competition by one's own mistakes, usually near the end of the contest.That team had the game won, but they coughed it up in the end. •To spill, to fumble.England had never before come back to win from a margin of more than 12 points, and the errors continued to come thick and fast as Tom Croft became the latest to cough up the ball. — 2011 formscoughed up · coughing up · coughs up