as in cowards
a person who shows a shameful lack of courage in the face of danger
a staunch hawk during the drumbeat for war, he proved to be a chicken when it came to actually fighting it
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Recent Examples of chickens
While a surge in bird flu cases among breeder chickens pushed the national average to a new record in June, those increases were measured in a few cents.
—
Claire Malon, Chicago Tribune, 20 Feb. 2026
Nationwide, the first successful prosecution happened in 2016 when a Houston man was sentenced to five years for creating videos that featured a woman mutilating and killing puppies, chickens and kittens and distributing them on the internet.
—Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 20 Feb. 2026
But cultural practitioners and animal advocates oppose killing chickens, citing their significance to Hawaiian heritage and arguing all other strategies should be exhausted first.
—Jennifer Sinco Kelleher, Los Angeles Times, 19 Feb. 2026
But one person's nuisance is another's cultural symbol, a dynamic that has also played out in Miami and some other cities with populations of wild chickens.
—ABC News, 19 Feb. 2026
While geese have made up the majority of the New Jersey fatalities, avian influenza also poses a risk to chickens, turkeys and ducks.
—Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 19 Feb. 2026
There are also coops on the property for about 19 chickens and a handful of quail also tended by students.
—Tribune News Service, Baltimore Sun, 19 Feb. 2026
Feral chickens wander around near downtown Honolulu on April 19, 2023.
—CBS News, 19 Feb. 2026
Different brands and stores likely have chickens with varying levels of sodium.
—Khloe Quill, Fox News, 15 Mar. 2025
Claire Malon, Chicago Tribune, 20 Feb. 2026
Nationwide, the first successful prosecution happened in 2016 when a Houston man was sentenced to five years for creating videos that featured a woman mutilating and killing puppies, chickens and kittens and distributing them on the internet.
—Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 20 Feb. 2026
But cultural practitioners and animal advocates oppose killing chickens, citing their significance to Hawaiian heritage and arguing all other strategies should be exhausted first.
—Jennifer Sinco Kelleher, Los Angeles Times, 19 Feb. 2026
But one person's nuisance is another's cultural symbol, a dynamic that has also played out in Miami and some other cities with populations of wild chickens.
—ABC News, 19 Feb. 2026
While geese have made up the majority of the New Jersey fatalities, avian influenza also poses a risk to chickens, turkeys and ducks.
—Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 19 Feb. 2026
There are also coops on the property for about 19 chickens and a handful of quail also tended by students.
—Tribune News Service, Baltimore Sun, 19 Feb. 2026
Feral chickens wander around near downtown Honolulu on April 19, 2023.
—CBS News, 19 Feb. 2026
Different brands and stores likely have chickens with varying levels of sodium.
—Khloe Quill, Fox News, 15 Mar. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chickens
cowards
Noun
-
And Trump calls ’em almost like cowards.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
24 Jan. 2026
-
Put beaks on the helmets, you cowards.—
AJ Willingham,
AJC.com,
13 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Chickens.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chickens. Accessed 1 Mar. 2026.
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