Meanings
present singular third person expectorates · participle present expectorating · participle past expectorated · past expectorated
- ambitransitiveTo cough up fluid from the lungs.
…the gap in his upper row of teeth enabled him to expectorate in a new and admirable way.
1876, Mark Twain, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (Chapter VI)1 more example
These rules are equally applicable to pneumonia and perhaps also to bronchitis. It will, therefore, be best to call them, not rules for consumptives, but for all persons who cough and expectorate .
1893, Popular Science Monthly (ed.), Popular Science Monthly, Vol. 42 (Jan 1893) — Notes - ambitransitiveTo spit.
Synonyms & antonyms
verbdischarge (phlegm or sputum) from the lungs and out of the mouth
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinexpectorātus
- Englishexpectorate
From Latin expectorātus, past participle of expectorō (“(only figurative) banish from the mind; (post-classical) expel from the breast)”), from ex (“out of”) + pectus (“the breast”).
More words from Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian изкашлям, изхрачвам
- изкашлям (izkašljam)to cough up fluid from the lungs
- изхрачвам (izhračvam)to cough up fluid from the lungs
Catalan expectorar
- expectorarto cough up fluid from the lungs
Czech vykašlat
- vykašlatto cough up fluid from the lungs
Finnish yskiä
- yskiäto cough up fluid from the lungs
French expectorer
- expectorerto cough up fluid from the lungs
Hungarian felköhög, felkrákog
- felköhögto cough up fluid from the lungs
- felkrákogto cough up fluid from the lungs
- kiköhögto cough up fluid from the lungs
Icelandic hósta, hósta upp
- hóstato cough up fluid from the lungs
- hósta uppto cough up fluid from the lungs
Italian espettorare
- espettorareto cough up fluid from the lungs
Polish odpluwać, odplunąć
- odpluwaćto cough up fluid from the lungs
- odplunąćto cough up fluid from the lungs
- wykrztuszaćto cough up fluid from the lungs
- wykrztusićto cough up fluid from the lungs
- odkasływaćto cough up fluid from the lungs
- odkasłaćto cough up fluid from the lungs
Portuguese expectorar
- expectorarto cough up fluid from the lungs
Russian ха́ркать, ха́ркнуть
- ха́ркать (xárkatʹ)to cough up fluid from the lungs
- ха́ркнуть (xárknutʹ)to cough up fluid from the lungs
- отха́ркивать (otxárkivatʹ)to cough up fluid from the lungs
- отка́шливать (otkášlivatʹ)to cough up fluid from the lungs
Spanish expectorar
- expectorarto cough up fluid from the lungs
Turkish balgam atmak
- balgam atmakto cough up fluid from the lungs
Vietnamese khạc đờm, khạc
- khạc đờmto cough up fluid from the lungs
- khạcto cough up fluid from the lungs
- nhổto cough up fluid from the lungs
Cite this entry
expectorate. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/expectorate
“expectorate.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/expectorate. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “expectorate,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/expectorate.
Source: expectorate on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.