expectorate

/ɛkˈspɛktəˌreɪt/

Other forms: expectorated; expectorating; expectorates

Looking for a fancy way to say "cough up phlegm"? Try expectorate.

There's no way around it — expectorating is pretty gross. If you have a respiratory problem like bronchitis, you're going to expectorate a lot: phlegm and mucus will build up in your lungs, and you'll eventually cough it up and spit it out. A doctor might prescribe a special cough medicine to help you expectorate. Sometimes people use expectorate to mean spitting out plain old saliva, too.

Definitions of expectorate

1. verb

   clear out the chest and lungs
   “This drug expectorates quickly”

   synonyms: clear out, drive out

   type of:

   remove, take, take away, withdraw

   remove something concrete, as by lifting, pushing, or taking off, or remove something abstract
2. verb

   discharge (phlegm or sputum) from the lungs and out of the mouth
   synonyms: cough out, cough up, spit out, spit up

   types:

   cough

   exhale abruptly, as when one has a chest cold or congestion

   ptyalise, ptyalize, spew, spit, spue

   expel or eject (saliva or phlegm or sputum) from the mouth

   spit out, splutter, sputter

   spit up in an explosive manner

   hack, whoop

   cough spasmodically

   clear the throat, hawk

   clear mucus or food from one's throat

   type of:

   discharge, eject, exhaust, expel, release

   eliminate (a substance)