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Glite Dictionary
coughing

coughing

15 1.0
Forcing air out of the lungs with a sudden loud sound to clear the throat or because of illness
  • noun
  • /ˈkɔfɪŋ/
translation icon : tos
  • Such symptoms include fever, anorexia, coughing, and diarrhea.

That is easy with the coughing that's triggering for me.

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Examples

  • Our third class of ingredients, expectorants, aim to help improve coughing rather than eliminate it.

  • Then amid a fit of coughing, I broke the silence.

  • Coughing and sneezing do not spread HIV.

    Academic text (2015)

  • Lungs become healthier after about one month, with less coughing and shortness of breath.

  • Then comes a swelling around the head, neck and eyes, coughing, sneezing and gasping for air.

  • Coughing spreads the virus by droplets, and within 6 weeks of its discovery, it had infected thousands of people around the world.

    Academic text (2012)

  • Coughing is a means by which the body throws out or gets rid of substances that are irritating the air passages in their way.

    Blog text (16)

  • Coughing is accompanied by a typical noise from the act of exhaling air suddenly in order to clear the phlegm or the blockage.

    Blog text (16)

  • Coughing is often a conscious reaction to something in the throat, such as dust particles or food going down the wrong way, and although this can be uncomfortable for a short time, the reaction usually passes quickly and does not require any intervention or self-care.

    Academic text (2012)

  • The sound of coughing echoed through the quiet room as she tried to clear her throat.

Synonyms

cough
vscoughing
271 1.0

A sudden strong push of air from the lungs to clear the throat

is the general act that can be repeated or continuous rather than one event
hacking
vscoughing
1 3.9

A short harsh cough that sounds dry

is sudden forced exhalation often loud but not necessarily harsh or repeated

Compounds

coughing up
5 4.3

Bringing up food, phlegm or blood from the throat by coughing

How Blocked

suffocation
20 5.2
choking
5 3.2
coughing
15 1.0

Surface Forms

coughing singular
coughings plural

Morphology

coughing = cough (transparent) = cough + ing

A straightforward gerund/nominalization of the verb 'cough' formed with the productive suffix '-ing', so learners who know 'cough' can infer the meaning.

Etymology

Coughing comes from the old English word cough, a word that copied the harsh sound people make when they force air out of their lungs, so it is like the language saying 'to cough'. That's why coughing means the action of suddenly forcing air out of the lungs with a loud sound, often to clear the throat or as a sign of illness.