coughing

Thân thiện

A child covers their mouth while coughing.

Definition

Noun: 1. A sudden, often involuntary, forceful expulsion of air from the lungs, typically to clear the throat or airways: This is the body's reflex action to remove irritants, mucus, or foreign particles from the respiratory tract. It is a common symptom of various respiratory conditions.

Usage

The word "coughing" is used to describe the act or sound of this specific respiratory reflex. It functions as a gerund (a verb form ending in -ing that acts as a noun) or a present participle, but its primary dictionary entry is as a noun describing the symptom itself. - It is commonly used in medical and everyday contexts to indicate a symptom of illness. - It can describe a single instance or the ongoing action.

Examples

• As a noun (gerund) describing the action/symptom:
  • Persistent coughing can be a sign of a serious infection.
  • The sound of coughing echoed through the quiet lecture hall.
• In a medical context:
  • The doctor noted coughing as one of the patient's primary symptoms.

Advanced Usage

• "a fit of coughing": This phrase describes a sudden, uncontrollable series of coughs.
  • The cold medicine helped suppress his fit of coughing.

Variants and Related Words

• Cough (verb): To expel air from the lungs suddenly and noisily.
  • She began to cough uncontrollably.
• Cough (noun): A single instance or the sound of this action.
  • He let out a dry cough.
• Cougher (noun): A person who coughs, especially habitually.
• Cough drop (noun): A medicated lozenge designed to soothe a sore throat or suppress a cough. .

Synonyms

• Hack: A short, dry, and often harsh cough.
• Tussis: The medical term for coughing.

Related Phrasal Verbs (from the base verb "cough")

• Cough up:
  • To expel something, like phlegm, from the lungs or throat by coughing.

    • He coughed up some mucus.
  • (Informal) To provide something, especially money or information, reluctantly.

    • He finally coughed up the cash he owed.

Related Idioms

• To cough something up: Similar to the phrasal verb, this idiom means to produce or surrender something unwillingly.
  • The company was forced to cough up a large settlement.

Học thuật

Noun

1. a sudden noisy expulsion of air from the lungs that clears the air passages; a common symptom of upper respiratory infection or bronchitis or pneumonia or tuberculosis

Từ đồng nghĩa

• cough