1
: the act or an instance of copping out
2
: an excuse or means for copping out : pretext
3
: a person who cops out
copped out; copping out; cops out
1
: to back out (as of an unwanted responsibility)
cop out on jury duty
2
: to avoid or neglect problems, responsibilities, or commitments
accused the mayor of copping out on the issue
Examples of cop-out in a Sentence
Noun
I think that saying you're sick is just a cop-out to get out of going to work
Verb
don't cop out on your promise to pay for the damage
Recent Examples on the Web
Megan McCluskey, Time, 24 Oct. 2025
Claiming victimhood was a cop-out; those who made accusations of assault were ridiculed.
—Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
Mine is probably a cop-out too.
—Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 21 Oct. 2025
Others may see it as a cop-out to make up for a short discography.
—Joseph Hernandez, Kansas City Star, 5 Oct. 2025
Again, this isn’t a cop-out, but the familiarity doesn’t give either side an edge.
—Megan Feringa, New York Times, 27 July 2025
Bloy’s answer to Variety’s question is both understandable and a total cop-out.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 15 July 2025
This is a bit of a cop-out, but there’s not much drama in the room unless injury hits.
—Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 7 July 2025
Ultimately, the labor export program shouldn’t be seen as a cop-out by the government but rather as a single element of a much larger jobs plan that ought to prioritize opportunities in the country.
—Martin K.n Siele, semafor.com, 20 June 2025
Shomik Mukherjee, Mercury News, 8 Aug. 2025
But with that brief wave of hope came new footage on Twitter every night of the NYPD acting like bad cops out of a Harvey Keitel flick: cops harassing peaceful crowds, cops kettling activists, cops literally driving a car into a crowd of protestors.
—Maris Kreizman, Rolling Stone, 24 June 2025
The relative lack of substance across the board can’t help feeling like a cop out for a show that’s been capable of a lot more.
—Christian Blauvelt, IndieWire, 14 June 2025
About 20 minutes later, the two cops out in front were joined by a third officer.
—Melody Chiu, People.com, 7 Jan. 2025
The judges avoid giving critiques to the girls this week but do talk among one another, which is kind of weird but also means that nobody gets to cop out of Rate-a-Queen and just imitate the judges.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 3 Jan. 2025
Sometimes that feels like a bit of a cop out.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 30 Sep. 2024
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Noun
But in the wake of that buildup, the film's shockingly anticlimactic ending also feels like somewhat of a cop-out.
—Megan McCluskey, Time, 24 Oct. 2025
Claiming victimhood was a cop-out; those who made accusations of assault were ridiculed.
—Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
Mine is probably a cop-out too.
—Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 21 Oct. 2025
Others may see it as a cop-out to make up for a short discography.
—Joseph Hernandez, Kansas City Star, 5 Oct. 2025
Again, this isn’t a cop-out, but the familiarity doesn’t give either side an edge.
—Megan Feringa, New York Times, 27 July 2025
Bloy’s answer to Variety’s question is both understandable and a total cop-out.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 15 July 2025
This is a bit of a cop-out, but there’s not much drama in the room unless injury hits.
—Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 7 July 2025
Ultimately, the labor export program shouldn’t be seen as a cop-out by the government but rather as a single element of a much larger jobs plan that ought to prioritize opportunities in the country.
—Martin K.n Siele, semafor.com, 20 June 2025
Verb
On Thursday, there were 652 officers on the force, with nearly 100 cops out on some kind of administrative or medical leave.
—Shomik Mukherjee, Mercury News, 8 Aug. 2025
But with that brief wave of hope came new footage on Twitter every night of the NYPD acting like bad cops out of a Harvey Keitel flick: cops harassing peaceful crowds, cops kettling activists, cops literally driving a car into a crowd of protestors.
—Maris Kreizman, Rolling Stone, 24 June 2025
The relative lack of substance across the board can’t help feeling like a cop out for a show that’s been capable of a lot more.
—Christian Blauvelt, IndieWire, 14 June 2025
About 20 minutes later, the two cops out in front were joined by a third officer.
—Melody Chiu, People.com, 7 Jan. 2025
The judges avoid giving critiques to the girls this week but do talk among one another, which is kind of weird but also means that nobody gets to cop out of Rate-a-Queen and just imitate the judges.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 3 Jan. 2025
Sometimes that feels like a bit of a cop out.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 30 Sep. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Cop-out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cop-out. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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