coward

cow·ard | \ ˈkau̇(-ə)rd

How to pronounce coward (audio)

\

Definition of coward

(Entry 1 of 2)

: one who shows disgraceful fear or timidity a coward who deserted his troops

Coward

biographical name

Cow·ard | \ ˈkau̇(-ə)rd

How to pronounce Coward (audio)

\

Definition of Coward (Entry 2 of 2)

Sir Noël Peirce 1899–1973 English actor and dramatist

Other Words from coward Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about coward

Keep scrolling for more

Examples of coward in a Sentence

Noun 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: Noun This is an amazing body of work that paints this mythical aura around Jesse James while expressing the tortured soul within the coward Robert Ford. — Troy L. Smith, cleveland, "40 greatest film scores of all time," 6 Sep. 2020 For this masquerade, he had been mercilessly lampooned in Northern caricature as a coward in drag—portrayed in hoopskirts and a ludicrous bonnet. — Harold Holzer, Smithsonian Magazine, "How Northern Publishers Cashed In on Fundraising for Confederate Monuments," 7 July 2020 Carlson, who has never served in the military, called this veteran, who lost both of her legs fighting in the Iraq War, a fraud, a vandal and — maybe most remarkably — a coward. — Margaret Sullivan, Washington Post, "Tucker Carlson’s attacks on Sen. Tammy Duckworth are as disgusting as they are predictable," 8 July 2020 Zayer, 20, called D’Andraia a coward and suggested the assault would only deepen mistrust of law enforcement. — Marina Villeneuve, Time, "New York Moves Swiftly Toward Eliminating Police Secrecy Law," 9 June 2020 There are two kinds of people: cowards and psychos. — Caity Weaver, New York Times, "How to Make Your Work-Neighbors Be Quiet (In 3 Lies or Less)," 2 Apr. 2020 There are those who say Bloomberg had to accept the invitation to debate or risk being branded a coward. — Willie Brown, SFChronicle.com, "Mike Bloomberg can still beat Trump. But he has no business on a debate stage," 22 Feb. 2020 This coward did not stop my cause but instead invigorated me to educate more people in our district on cultural awareness, inherent bias, and treating others with dignity and respect. — Claire Goodman, Houston Chronicle, "School board candidate drops out of election following racism, harassment," 21 Feb. 2020 More: Sergeant suspended in cop killing case was once fired for being a cowardThe update will take place at 3 p.m. from Detroit Public Safety Headquarters. — Brian Manzullo, Detroit Free Press, "Watch live: Detroit police give update on suspended sergeant," 26 Nov. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'coward.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about coward

Dictionary Entries near coward

Statistics for coward

Last Updated

9 Sep 2020

Cite this Entry

“Coward.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/coward. Accessed 30 Sep. 2020.

Keep scrolling for more

Keep scrolling for more

WORD OF THE DAY

sinuous

Listen to the pronunciation of sinuous

See Definitions and Examples »

Get Word of the Day daily email!

Test Your Vocabulary

Challenging Vocabulary Quiz Returns!

Which is a synonym of fuliginous?

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.