cough out vs spit

cough out is not a noun while spit is a noun.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
cough out	No	No	Yes	No
spit	Yes	No	Yes	No

As verbs, spit is a hyponym of cough out; that is, spit is a word with a more specific, narrower meaning than cough out:

Other hyponyms of cough out include cough, ptyalise, ptyalize, spew, spue, spit out, splutter, sputter.

cough out (noun)	spit (noun)
	the act of spitting (forcefully expelling saliva)
	a skewer for holding meat over a fire
	a clear liquid secreted into the mouth by the salivary glands and mucous glands of the mouth; moistens the mouth and starts the digestion of starches
	a narrow strip of land that juts out into the sea

cough out (verb)	spit (verb)
discharge (phlegm or sputum) from the lungs and out of the mouth	expel or eject (saliva or phlegm or sputum) from the mouth
	utter with anger or contempt
	drive a skewer through
	rain gently