coward

noun

cow·​ard ˈkau̇(-ə)rd 

: one who shows disgraceful fear or timidity

a coward who deserted his troops

coward adjective

Synonyms

• craven
• chicken

Examples of coward in a Sentence

a proven coward who had deserted his troops

the soldiers who ran as soon as the first shots were fired were branded as cowards

Recent Examples on the Web

So this coward had to fire from outside of the church, through the church windows and into the church. —Greg Norman, FOXNews.com, 28 Aug. 2025

According to Boxing called Davis a coward for his decision. —Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2025

Come back and fight like Texans rather than running and hiding like cowards. —James Bickerton, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Aug. 2025

But Democrats look like cowards for fleeing the state. —Nicole Russell, USA Today, 7 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French cuard, from cue, coe tail, from Latin cauda

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for coward

• cowered
• floured
• flowered
• froward
• glowered
• powered
• scoured
• showered
• soured
• towered
• devoured
• embowered

Kids Definition

coward

noun

cow·​ard ˈkau̇(-ə)rd 

: one who shows shameful fear or timidity

coward adjective

Etymology

Middle English coward "coward," from early French cuard "coward," from cue, coe "tail," from Latin cauda "tail" — related to coda, cue entry 2, queue see Word History at queue

Word Origin

A frightened animal may put its tail between its hind legs, and if it is very frightened it may run away. In an animal like the hare, the white flash of the fleeing tail is especially obvious. This action gives us the phrase turn tail, meaning "to run away, flee." But even tailless animals like people can turn tail and run when frightened. It is in the "tail end" of an army that you might expect to find the cowards. We do not know whether the word coward developed from the idea of an animal's tail or an army's, but we do know the word comes from an early French word that meant "tail."

Biographical Definition

Coward

biographical name

Cow·​ard ˈkau̇(-ə)rd 

Sir Noël Peirce 1899–1973 English actor and dramatist