Definition of chicken
1a : the common domestic fowl (Gallus gallus) especially when young; also : its flesh used as food — compare jungle fowlb : any of various birds or their young
2 : a young woman
3a : cowardb : any of various contests in which the participants risk personal safety in order to see which one will give up first
4 [short for chickenshit] slang : petty details
5 slang : a young male homosexual
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Examples of chicken in a Sentence
We had chicken for dinner.
It's just a spider, you chicken!
Don't be such a big chicken.
Origin and Etymology of chicken
Middle English chiken, from Old English cicen young chicken; akin to Old English cocc cock
chicken
Definition of chicken
2 slang a : insistent on petty details of duty or disciplineb : petty, unimportant
Examples of chicken in a Sentence
too chicken to go through with the stunt
just concentrate on the important duties of the job and forget about the chicken stuff
First Known Use of chicken
1889
chicken
Definition of chicken
chickened
;chickening
play \ˈchi-kən-iŋ, ˈchik-niŋ\intransitive verb
: to lose one's nerve —usually used with out seemed to exhibit courage, manliness, and conviction when others chickened out — J. R. Seeley
First Known Use of chicken
1943
CHICKEN Defined for English Language Learners
chicken
playDefinition of chicken for English Language Learners
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: a bird that is raised by people for its eggs and meat
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: the meat of the chicken used as food
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: a person who is afraid
chicken
Definition of chicken for English Language Learners
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: too afraid to do something
CHICKEN Defined for Kids
Learn More about chicken
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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for chicken Spanish Central: Translation of chicken Nglish: Translation of chicken for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of chicken for Arabic speakers
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