coughed

Coughed is the past tense and past participle form of the verb cough. It is used to describe an instance of coughing that occurred in the past or to form perfect tenses (has coughed, had coughed) when speaking about the cough as a completed action.

As a regular verb, cough forms its past tense by adding -ed: cough becomes coughed. The present tense is cough; the third-person singular present is coughs; the present participle is coughing; the past participle is coughed. The word remains standard in both American and British English.

In narrative writing, coughed conveys a past action, often specifying the subject: 'He coughed loudly after inhaling dust.' In medical or clinical contexts, the noun form 'cough' is used; 'coughed' is used to describe past episodes or histories of coughing.

Causes of coughing, and thus past coughing episodes, include respiratory infections, allergies, irritants, asthma, and smoking. A single 'coughed' action is not diagnostic; persistent coughing warrants clinical evaluation based on duration, associated symptoms, and risk factors.