chickened (out)

past tense of chicken (out)

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for chickened (out)
Verb
  • The captain backed off, but Curry never forgot the look in his eyes, or the venom in his voice.
    Clint Smith, The Atlantic, 9 June 2026
  • The driver cut through busy intersections even though officers backed off ground units.
    Matthew Rodriguez, CBS News, 3 June 2026
Verb
  • Investors pulled funds from FTX, including Binance, which backed out of a deal to buy FTX.
    Conor Murray, Forbes.com, 12 June 2026
  • Delrahim blames merger concerns on fear-mongering, antisemitism Although Netflix backed out of its deal to buy Paramount in February, Delrahim believes Netflix is trying to turn people against Paramount buying WBD.
    Scharon Harding, ArsTechnica, 9 June 2026
Verb
  • The conflict threatened to explode again on Monday, when Iran and Israel fired missiles at each other before both sides backed down.
    Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 8 June 2026
  • Wednesday, a white van backed down the driveway.
    Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 May 2026
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.

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Cite this Entry

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

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