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Glite Dictionary
to expectorate

to expectorate

1 9.9
To cough up and spit out mucus from the throat or lungs
  • verb
  • /ɪkˈspɛktəˌreɪt/
  • Specialized
translation icon : expectorar
  • He had to expectorate frequently to clear the mucus from his throat.

In some tellings of the story, the men were also expectorating on King's body.

Examples

  • I'm especially good at expectorating

    Beauty and the Beast (1991)

  • Why expectorate if you can spit, or even elevate if you can lift?

    Academic text (2008)

  • Sneeve, cost or expectorate if you absolutely must into your own handkerchief.

  • The men hoot damply and expectorate some more.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • In some tellings of the story, the men were also expectorating on King's body.

    Decoding the Unknown

  • Phlegm can be occasional, white, cream, 'green with black bits', 'mucky', thick, frothy, and/or hard to expectorate.

    Academic text (2011)

  • Resting on his pitchfork, he looked at me intently, bemused yet kindly, pausing to expectorate and wipe his mouth with his flannel sleeve from time to time as we talked.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • Despite having a strong cough, most CF sufferers are unable to effectively expectorate this mucus without pharmaceutical and often physical assistance from a physical therapist (PT).

    Blog text (22)

  • After the cold, she started to expectorate phlegm each morning.

  • The doctor advised him to expectorate any mucus that built up in his lungs.

Synonyms

to spit out
vsto expectorate
94 2.3

To push food or drink out of your mouth

is specific to medically removing mucus from lungs or throat
to cough up
vsto expectorate
8 4.6

To bring mucus or blood up from the lungs into the mouth

is a more formal medical term for that same removal of mucus
to clear out
vsto expectorate
2 4.6

Remove mucus from the chest or lungs by coughing

focuses on the resulting chest cleanliness rather than the act itself
to spit up
vsto expectorate
1 4.1

To push food, milk, or phlegm out of the mouth

is the formal medical label rather than the common forceful action
to cough out
vsto expectorate
1 4.1

To force mucus out of the lungs through the mouth

is the clinical term rather than informal everyday phrasing

How Forceful

to spit out
94 2.3
to expectorate
  • Specialized
1 9.9
to cough up
8 4.6
to cough
254 1.0

Surface Forms

expectorate infinitive
expectorated past
expectorated past participle
expectorating present participle
expectorates third person singular

Morphology

expectorate = ex + pector + ate

Although built from recognizable formal pieces (ex- 'out' and verb-forming -ate), the central element 'pector' is not a standalone English base and the meaning 'to cough up phlegm' is not derivable by a B1 learner from the components.

Etymology

Expectorate comes from the Latin parts ex- meaning 'out' and pectus meaning 'chest'. So, to expectorate is to push something 'out' from the 'chest', which is why it means to cough up or spit out phlegm or mucus.