phlegm.

1. Mucus from the respiratory passages, especially when coughed up.

2. Calmness or lack of excitability under pressure.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• cough up phlegm
• thick phlegm

On the page

He coughed up a little phlegm.

Thick phlegm clogged her throat.

The nurse asked whether the phlegm had changed.

Usage notes

Primary category: horror. Forms: Mass noun. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings.