hack up
phrasal verb.phrasal verb. to cut something into many small pieces using a lot of force, or to cough very loudly and painfully.
phrasal verb. to cut or chop something into irregular pieces with heavy, forceful blows; also used intransitively to describe a violent, productive cough.
He had to hack up the fallen tree branch to move it.
The chef had to hack up the frozen meat because the kitchen saw was broken.
The patient continued to hack up thick phlegm throughout the night, suggesting a severe respiratory infection that required immediate intervention.
often implies a lack of precision or a sense of violent effort.
distinguish between the physical act of chopping and the medical context of coughing; the latter is often used with 'phlegm' or 'mucus' as an object.
He hacked the wood up into pieces.He hacked up the wood into pieces.while technically separable, 'hack up' is most commonly used with the particle following the verb directly when describing the action of cutting.
Last updated April 24, 2026