chicken out
phrasal verb
chickened out; chickening out; chickens out
informal
: to decide not to do something because one is afraid
He was going to ask her on a date, but he chickened out at the last minute.
Examples of chicken out in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The reversal in favor of optimism this morning suggests investors now think Trump will eventually chicken out and Washington and Beijing will come to a deal.
—
Jim Edwards, Fortune, 13 Oct. 2025
Lightly pound chicken out to 1/4-inch thick.
—Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 17 Sep. 2025
New York — Wall Street traders embraced the term TACO — Trump always chickens out — earlier this year to describe President Donald Trump’s on-again, off-again position on tariffs.
—John Towfighi, CNN Money, 11 Aug. 2025
Plus: Is Trump going to chicken out on tariffs again?
—Dexter Filkins, New Yorker, 14 July 2025
But that tactic fails when Venis and Randall chicken out at the last second.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 1 June 2025
Trump will not chicken out of his entire tariff agenda.
—Jill Goldenziel, Forbes.com, 1 June 2025
Toss affected ready-to-eat chicken out, USDA says No illnesses have immediately been reported in connection to the alert.
—Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 7 May 2025
Raccoons can reach through and pull chickens out through holes.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 7 May 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Jim Edwards, Fortune, 13 Oct. 2025
Lightly pound chicken out to 1/4-inch thick.
—Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 17 Sep. 2025
New York — Wall Street traders embraced the term TACO — Trump always chickens out — earlier this year to describe President Donald Trump’s on-again, off-again position on tariffs.
—John Towfighi, CNN Money, 11 Aug. 2025
Plus: Is Trump going to chicken out on tariffs again?
—Dexter Filkins, New Yorker, 14 July 2025
But that tactic fails when Venis and Randall chicken out at the last second.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 1 June 2025
Trump will not chicken out of his entire tariff agenda.
—Jill Goldenziel, Forbes.com, 1 June 2025
Toss affected ready-to-eat chicken out, USDA says No illnesses have immediately been reported in connection to the alert.
—Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 7 May 2025
Raccoons can reach through and pull chickens out through holes.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 7 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Chicken out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chicken%20out. Accessed 20 Oct. 2025.
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