PHLEGM | Meaning, Definition In Cambridge English Dictionary

Meaning of phlegm in English phlegmnoun [ U ] uk /flem/ us /flem/

phlegm noun [U] (SUBSTANCE)

Add to word list Add to word list a thick substance in your nose and throat that is produced when you have a cold Animal physiology: bodily fluids & their production
  • bile salt
  • biliary
  • bilirubin
  • bodily fluid
  • bogy
  • expectorate
  • night sweats
  • parotid gland
  • perspiratory
  • perspire
  • postnasal drip
  • purulent
  • saliva
  • salivate
  • semen
  • seminal
  • slag
  • spermatozoon
  • sweat buckets idiom
  • sweaty
See more results »

phlegm noun [U] (CALMNESS)

formal the ability to stay calm and not get emotional or excited about things even in a difficult or dangerous situation Calm and relaxed
  • (as) cool as a cucumber idiom
  • at leisure idiom
  • be at peace with the world idiom
  • biddable
  • calmly
  • easy-going
  • equilibrium
  • fluidly
  • free-flowing
  • gaily
  • peaceably
  • peacefully
  • peacefulness
  • placable
  • placid
  • uninhibited
  • unpressured
  • unpressurized
  • unruffled
  • unshockable
See more results » (Definition of phlegm from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

phlegm | American Dictionary

phlegmnoun [ U ] us /flem/ Add to word list Add to word list a thick, liquid substance produced in the throat and nose esp. when you have a cold (Definition of phlegm from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

Examples of phlegm

phlegm Unlike phlegms, they were clear liquids. From the Cambridge English Corpus He can only recover if he is a person of "normal fortitude" and "customary phlegm". From the Cambridge English Corpus Diseases (such as quotidian fever) that originate in phlegm are more frequent than diseases that originate in choleric humor, such as tertiary fever. From the Cambridge English Corpus Sufferers have a severe cough, producing large quantities of phlegm, which is a mixture of mucus, bacteria and some white blood cells. From the Cambridge English Corpus She was coughing up increasing amounts of phlegm prior to admission, and there was no diurnal variation in amount. From the Cambridge English Corpus His phlegm had not been frothy. (name) had "no associated pain" with his cough and "did not experience any chest pain". From the Cambridge English Corpus There was no associated pain, phlegm, haemoptysis, nausea, vomiting or sweating. From the Cambridge English Corpus Diocles believed that phlegm cooled and compacted the blood, whereas bile caused it to boil and curdle. From the Cambridge English Corpus Chronic coughs and phlegm are more frequent among the children of parents who smoke. From the Hansard archive Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0 They are rather simple compared with words like "phlegm"and"rhythm," and similar difficult words. From the Hansard archive Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0 I sometimes admire the phlegm and self-control of the general public in this country. From the Hansard archive Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0 The public are showing all those qualities of stability and phlegm, when things are not going well, that have made us what we are and have carried us thus far. From the Hansard archive Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0 I admire very much the phlegm and the physique which have enabled him to support them with so much composure and such an air of well-being. From the Hansard archive Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0 The characteristics of the wicked persons and phlegm are surprisingly similar. From Wikipedia This example is from Wikipedia and may be reused under a CC BY-SA license. Phlegmatic means pertaining to phlegm, corresponds to the season of winter (wet and cold), and connotes the element of water. From Wikipedia This example is from Wikipedia and may be reused under a CC BY-SA license. See all examples of phlegm These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors. What is the pronunciation of phlegm?

Translations of phlegm

in Chinese (Traditional) 物質, 痰, 鎮靜… See more in Chinese (Simplified) 物质, 痰, 镇静… See more in Spanish flema… See more in Portuguese muco, fleuma, catarro… See more in Turkish in French in Dutch in Czech in Danish in Indonesian in Thai in Vietnamese in Polish in Swedish in Malay in German in Norwegian in Ukrainian balgam… See more flegme… See more slijm… See more hlen… See more slim… See more dahak… See more เสมหะ… See more đờm… See more flegma… See more slem… See more kahak… See more der Schleim… See more slim… See more харкотиння, слиз… See more Need a translator?

Get a quick, free translation!

Translator tool

Browse

phlebitis phlebology phlebotomist phlebotomy phlegm phlegmatic phlegmatically phloem phlox {{#randomImageQuizHook.filename}} {{#randomImageQuizHook.isQuiz}} Test your vocabulary with our fun image quizzes Try a quiz now {{/randomImageQuizHook.isQuiz}} {{^randomImageQuizHook.isQuiz}} {{/randomImageQuizHook.isQuiz}} {{/randomImageQuizHook.filename}}

Word of the Day

fall on hard times

to lose your money and start to have a difficult life

About this

Blog

Poker faced or heart on your sleeve? Showing or hiding emotions.

February 04, 2026 Read More

New Words

clip farming February 02, 2026 More new words has been added to list To top AI icon AI Assistant Contents EnglishAmericanExamplesTranslations AI icon AI Assistant {{#displayLoginPopup}} Cambridge Dictionary +Plus

Learn more with +Plus

Sign up for free and get access to exclusive content: Free word lists and quizzes from Cambridge Tools to create your own word lists and quizzes Word lists shared by our community of dictionary fans Sign up now or Log in Cambridge Dictionary +Plus

Learn more with +Plus

Create word lists and quizzes for free Sign up now or Log in {{/displayLoginPopup}} {{#displayClassicSurvey}} {{/displayClassicSurvey}}
  • Cambridge Dictionary +Plus
  • My profile
  • +Plus help
  • Log out
AI Assistant Dictionary Definitions Clear explanations of natural written and spoken English English Learner’s Dictionary Essential British English Essential American English Translations Click on the arrows to change the translation direction. Bilingual Dictionaries English–Chinese (Simplified) Chinese (Simplified)–English English–Chinese (Traditional) Chinese (Traditional)–English English–Danish Danish–English English–Dutch Dutch–English English–French French–English English–German German–English English–Indonesian Indonesian–English English–Italian Italian–English English–Japanese Japanese–English English–Norwegian Norwegian–English English–Polish Polish–English English–Portuguese Portuguese–English English–Spanish Spanish–English English–Swedish Swedish–English Semi-bilingual Dictionaries English–Arabic English–Bengali English–Catalan English–Czech English–Gujarati English–Hindi English–Korean English–Malay English–Marathi English–Russian English–Tamil English–Telugu English–Thai English–Turkish English–Ukrainian English–Urdu English–Vietnamese Translate Grammar Thesaurus Pronunciation Cambridge Dictionary +Plus Games {{userName}}
  • Cambridge Dictionary +Plus
  • My profile
  • +Plus help
  • Log out
Log in / Sign up English (UK) Change English (UK) English (US) Español Português 中文 (简体) 正體中文 (繁體) Dansk Deutsch Français Italiano Nederlands Norsk Polski Русский Türkçe Tiếng Việt Svenska Українська 日本語 한국어 ગુજરાતી தமிழ் తెలుగు বাঙ্গালি मराठी हिंदी Follow us Choose a dictionary
  • Recent and Recommended {{#preferredDictionaries}} {{name}} {{/preferredDictionaries}}
  • Definitions Clear explanations of natural written and spoken English English Learner’s Dictionary Essential British English Essential American English
  • Grammar and thesaurus Usage explanations of natural written and spoken English Grammar Thesaurus
  • Pronunciation British and American pronunciations with audio English Pronunciation
  • Translation Click on the arrows to change the translation direction. Bilingual Dictionaries
    • English–Chinese (Simplified) Chinese (Simplified)–English
    • English–Chinese (Traditional) Chinese (Traditional)–English
    • English–Danish Danish–English
    • English–Dutch Dutch–English
    • English–French French–English
    • English–German German–English
    • English–Indonesian Indonesian–English
    • English–Italian Italian–English
    • English–Japanese Japanese–English
    • English–Norwegian Norwegian–English
    • English–Polish Polish–English
    • English–Portuguese Portuguese–English
    • English–Spanish Spanish–English
    • English–Swedish Swedish–English
    Semi-bilingual Dictionaries English–Arabic English–Bengali English–Catalan English–Czech English–Gujarati English–Hindi English–Korean English–Malay English–Marathi English–Russian English–Tamil English–Telugu English–Thai English–Turkish English–Ukrainian English–Urdu English–Vietnamese
  • Dictionary +Plus Word Lists
Choose your language English (UK) English (US) Español Português 中文 (简体) 正體中文 (繁體) Dansk Deutsch Français Italiano Nederlands Norsk Polski Русский Türkçe Tiếng Việt Svenska Українська 日本語 한국어 ગુજરાતી தமிழ் తెలుగు বাঙ্গালি मराठी हिंदी Contents
  • English   
    • Noun 
      • phlegm (SUBSTANCE)
      • phlegm (CALMNESS)
  • American   Noun
  • Examples
  • Translations
  • Grammar
  • All translations
My word lists

To add phlegm to a word list please sign up or log in.

Sign up or Log in My word lists

Add phlegm to one of your lists below, or create a new one.

{{#verifyErrors}}

{{message}}

{{/verifyErrors}} {{^verifyErrors}} {{#message}}

{{message}}

{{/message}} {{^message}}

Something went wrong.

{{/message}} {{/verifyErrors}} {{name}} More Go to your word lists {{#verifyErrors}}

{{message}}

{{/verifyErrors}} {{^verifyErrors}} {{#message}}

{{message}}

{{/message}} {{^message}}

Something went wrong.

{{/message}} {{/verifyErrors}} Tell us about this example sentence: The word in the example sentence does not match the entry word. The sentence contains offensive content. Cancel Submit Thanks! Your feedback will be reviewed. {{#verifyErrors}}

{{message}}

{{/verifyErrors}} {{^verifyErrors}} {{#message}}

{{message}}

{{/message}} {{^message}}

There was a problem sending your report.

{{/message}} {{/verifyErrors}} The word in the example sentence does not match the entry word. The sentence contains offensive content. Cancel Submit Thanks! Your feedback will be reviewed. {{#verifyErrors}}

{{message}}

{{/verifyErrors}} {{^verifyErrors}} {{#message}}

{{message}}

{{/message}} {{^message}}

There was a problem sending your report.

{{/message}} {{/verifyErrors}}

Tag » How Do You Spell Phlegm