chicken (out)

verb

Definition of chicken (out)next
as in to back out

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for chicken (out)
  1. back out
  2. back down
  3. cop out
  4. wimp out
  5. back off
Verb
  • She was briefly considered to be a Taiwan People's Party legislator candidate, but had backed out owing to questions about her loyalty and affiliation with China.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Near the end of the story, Gardner pledges to kill his imaginary son to spare him war’s toll, but backs out upon his wish to be transformed into a noble soldier.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of back out
Verb
  • Trump has often lobbed verbal threats toward Tehran only to later back down, citing an imminent diplomatic breakthrough that has so far failed to materialize.
    — Alexander Smith, NBC news, 14 Aug. 2026
  • These officials, who have spoken on condition of anonymity to discuss internal administration deliberations, have said on multiple occasions that Rubio’s limited response was intentionally designed to give Lula time and space to back down.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of back down
Verb
  • Strategic shakeup Usually buying and selling is a cop out, but with where the Red Sox are in their competitive cycle the approach might make some sense.
    — Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 31 May 2026
  • The case highlighted limits in Colorado's police oversight despite significant recent reforms aimed at forcing dishonest cops out of the profession.
    — Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 22 May 2026
Definition of cop out
Verb
  • Some plants wimp out when temperatures soar—but not these heat-tolerant perennials.
    — Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 10 May 2026
  • These thick, long-lasting steamers will never wimp out mid-shower, and the cute packaging sure doesn't hurt either.
    — Annie Blackman, Allure, 16 Mar. 2025
Definition of wimp out
Verb
  • If the city backs off the video gambling rollout, Bally’s will once again ramp up construction at an accelerated pace on the full entertainment complex, sources said.
    — Robert Channick, Chicago Tribune, 9 Aug. 2026
  • But a New York Times report published Tuesday shows one of the most prominent GOP donors has quietly backed off.
    — Sydney Lake, Fortune, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of back off
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

chicken-livered
chicken (out)
chickens
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Chicken (out).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chicken%20%28out%29. Accessed 16 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of zeugma

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Words of the Week - Aug. 14

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All