*cough*

Used on forums, chat, etc. to represent awkwardness, or break silence. Rarely used to actually represent coughing, unless someone is explaining how they have the flu or something.

Cough:
1. Used mostly on a chat, or a forum, as a response to something awkward.
2. Used to tell others you have a cough or something.

*Any clash between real names in the example is entirely coincidental*

What you sandwich declarations of disbelief (in a another person's statement) between on the internet when you don't realize that *cough* is not even a close approximation of actually coughing. See, when the words are spoken, you may actually be able to mask the words by feigning a cough or sneeze. Typing the word "cough" only makes you look about as stupid as the people who think they need to type sarcasm in parentheses at the end of every witty, sarcastic thing they say.

*cough cough* im dying of cancer

cough cough is used to subtly imply that you know something that someone else doesn't. The person who it is "used on" will then begin to suspect something is suspicious with the phrase "cough cough" and will begin to wonder what it means. Mostly, "cough cough" is pronounced as a word, instead of being actually "coughed out".

Those special times when you can't say something, so you just, ya know, sort of cough...

Dying of corona.