COUGH

Cough

A cough, is a sudden and often repetitively occurring reflex which helps to clear the large breathing passages from secretions, irritants, foreign particles and microbes. The cough reflex consists of three phases: an inhalation, a forced exhalation against a closed glottis, and a violent release of air from the lungs following opening of the glottis, usually accompanied by a distinctive sound. Coughing is either voluntary or involuntary.

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cough

Noun

  1. A sudden, usually noisy expulsion of air from the lungs, often involuntary.
    Behind me, I heard a distinct, dry cough.
  2. A condition that causes one to cough; a tendency to cough.
    Sorry, I can't come to work today – I've got a nasty cough.

Verb

  1. To push air from the lungs in a quick, noisy explosion.
  2. To make a noise like a cough.


The above text is a snippet from Wiktionary: cough
and as such is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

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