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chickening (out)

verb

present participle of chicken (out)
as in backing out

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for chickening (out)
  1. backing out
  2. backing off
  3. backing down
Verb
  • Somebody was probably backing out of our neighbor’s driveway, and hit it!
    — Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Sep. 2026
  • After backing out those sectors, the economy would’ve added 70,000 jobs, in line with Wall Street’s consensus, instead of losing 23,000 jobs.
    — Jason Ma, Fortune, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of backing out
Verb
  • Nikishin not backing off trade request Defenseman Alexander Nikishin remains unsigned by the Carolina Hurricanes as camps get set to open.
    — Pierre LeBrun, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026
  • The stock saw a record high close in June before backing off.
    — Alexa LoMonaco, CNBC, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of backing off
Verb
  • Sheeran himself has faced significant backlash over the move, with critics blasting him for backing down, not supporting Macklemore and seeking to avoid taking sides on the matter.
    — Ethan Millman, HollywoodReporter, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Tehran has no intention of backing down in the face of an American naval blockade and attacks on its oil tankers, said the official, who asked not to be identified discussing sensitive matters.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of backing down
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

chickenhearted
chickening (out)
Chicken Little
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Cite this Entry

“Chickening (out).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chickening%20%28out%29. Accessed 1 Oct. 2026.

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