cop an attitude
idiom
US, informal
: to show that one believes he or she is more important or better than other people by behaving in a rude or unpleasant way
The students tried to cop an attitude with the new teacher.
Examples of cop an attitude in a Sentence
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Until the GOP right wing decided to cop an attitude over the COVID-19 vaccines, virtually no one ever heard a peep of complaint about those mandates.
—
Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2021
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Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2021
Cite this Entry
“Cop an attitude.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cop%20an%20attitude. Accessed 22 Jul. 2025.
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