weasel out of
phrasal verb
weaseled out of; weaseling out of; weasels out of
chiefly US, informal + usually disapproving
: to avoid doing (something) by being dishonest, by persuading someone in a clever way, etc.
She weaseled out of our agreement.
He weaseled his way out of helping me with the yard work.
Examples of weasel out of in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The administration is already appealing, and will no doubt try to weasel out of responsibility.
—
New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 17 Apr. 2025
Belinda uses virtually the same words to weasel out of opening a spa with her sort-of boyfriend Pornchai (Dom Hetrakul) that Tanya used to stiff Belinda in Hawaii.
—Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 7 Apr. 2025
After picking the low-hanging fruit of Trump’s bizarre rantings, Stewart turned serious toward the end of the segment, especially as Trump tried to weasel out of his responsibility for the Jan. 6 insurrection during the debate and blamed Nancy Pelosi.
—Carly Thomas, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Sep. 2024
In a worst-case scenario, striking down EMTALA protections could provide a pathway to allow states to weasel out of emergency care in other MAGA-unpopular instances, such as intervention for a gender-affirming care emergency or life-saving HIV treatment.
—Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2024
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New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 17 Apr. 2025
Belinda uses virtually the same words to weasel out of opening a spa with her sort-of boyfriend Pornchai (Dom Hetrakul) that Tanya used to stiff Belinda in Hawaii.
—Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 7 Apr. 2025
After picking the low-hanging fruit of Trump’s bizarre rantings, Stewart turned serious toward the end of the segment, especially as Trump tried to weasel out of his responsibility for the Jan. 6 insurrection during the debate and blamed Nancy Pelosi.
—Carly Thomas, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Sep. 2024
In a worst-case scenario, striking down EMTALA protections could provide a pathway to allow states to weasel out of emergency care in other MAGA-unpopular instances, such as intervention for a gender-affirming care emergency or life-saving HIV treatment.
—Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Weasel out of.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/weasel%20out%20of. Accessed 1 May. 2025.
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