as in escape
the act or a means of getting or keeping away from something undesirable
I think that saying you're sick is just a cop-out to get out of going to work
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to back out
to break a promise or agreement
don't cop out on your promise to pay for the damage
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of cop-out
Megan McCluskey, Time, 24 Oct. 2025
Claiming victimhood was a cop-out; those who made accusations of assault were ridiculed.
—Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
Those who don’t will probably view it as a cop-out — which is understandable!
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 24 Oct. 2025
Recommending an antidepressant felt like a cop-out.
—Connie Bennett, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
Mine is probably a cop-out too.
—Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 21 Oct. 2025
Others may see it as a cop-out to make up for a short discography.
—Joseph Hernandez, Kansas City Star, 5 Oct. 2025
Again, this isn’t a cop-out, but the familiarity doesn’t give either side an edge.
—Megan Feringa, New York Times, 27 July 2025
This is a bit of a cop-out, but there’s not much drama in the room unless injury hits.
—Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 7 July 2025
Shomik Mukherjee, Mercury News, 8 Aug. 2025
But with that brief wave of hope came new footage on Twitter every night of the NYPD acting like bad cops out of a Harvey Keitel flick: cops harassing peaceful crowds, cops kettling activists, cops literally driving a car into a crowd of protestors.
—Maris Kreizman, Rolling Stone, 24 June 2025
The relative lack of substance across the board can’t help feeling like a cop out for a show that’s been capable of a lot more.
—Christian Blauvelt, IndieWire, 14 June 2025
About 20 minutes later, the two cops out in front were joined by a third officer.
—Melody Chiu, People.com, 7 Jan. 2025
The judges avoid giving critiques to the girls this week but do talk among one another, which is kind of weird but also means that nobody gets to cop out of Rate-a-Queen and just imitate the judges.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 3 Jan. 2025
Sometimes that feels like a bit of a cop out.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 30 Sep. 2024
Noun
But in the wake of that buildup, the film's shockingly anticlimactic ending also feels like somewhat of a cop-out.
—Megan McCluskey, Time, 24 Oct. 2025
Claiming victimhood was a cop-out; those who made accusations of assault were ridiculed.
—Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
Those who don’t will probably view it as a cop-out — which is understandable!
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 24 Oct. 2025
Recommending an antidepressant felt like a cop-out.
—Connie Bennett, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
Mine is probably a cop-out too.
—Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 21 Oct. 2025
Others may see it as a cop-out to make up for a short discography.
—Joseph Hernandez, Kansas City Star, 5 Oct. 2025
Again, this isn’t a cop-out, but the familiarity doesn’t give either side an edge.
—Megan Feringa, New York Times, 27 July 2025
This is a bit of a cop-out, but there’s not much drama in the room unless injury hits.
—Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 7 July 2025
Verb
On Thursday, there were 652 officers on the force, with nearly 100 cops out on some kind of administrative or medical leave.
—Shomik Mukherjee, Mercury News, 8 Aug. 2025
But with that brief wave of hope came new footage on Twitter every night of the NYPD acting like bad cops out of a Harvey Keitel flick: cops harassing peaceful crowds, cops kettling activists, cops literally driving a car into a crowd of protestors.
—Maris Kreizman, Rolling Stone, 24 June 2025
The relative lack of substance across the board can’t help feeling like a cop out for a show that’s been capable of a lot more.
—Christian Blauvelt, IndieWire, 14 June 2025
About 20 minutes later, the two cops out in front were joined by a third officer.
—Melody Chiu, People.com, 7 Jan. 2025
The judges avoid giving critiques to the girls this week but do talk among one another, which is kind of weird but also means that nobody gets to cop out of Rate-a-Queen and just imitate the judges.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 3 Jan. 2025
Sometimes that feels like a bit of a cop out.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 30 Sep. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cop-out
Noun
-
Their 109-108 escape against the Philadelphia 76ers provided compelling theater, just not to all of the Celtics players.—
Jay King,
New York Times,
1 Nov. 2025
-
Smoke detectors inside the devices sense smoke, which triggers the alarm warning, and its chime can add life-saving minutes to an escape.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
1 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Shanahan was asked if Jones' solid play has any effect on how quickly the team gets Purdy back out on the field.—
Matt Audilet,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Nov. 2025
-
All the charges, however, weren't bail-eligible due to the state's 2019 no-bail law, sending Gooding back out onto the streets.—
Adam Sabes,
FOXNews.com,
2 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
But Fan’s world came crashing down in the late 2010s amidst tax evasion allegations that culminated in fines and retroactive tax bills reportedly in the region of $100 million.—
Gavin J Blair,
HollywoodReporter,
2 Nov. 2025
-
Cunningham, who died in August 2025, had previously served more than eight years in federal prison for bribery and tax evasion.—
David Mark,
The Washington Examiner,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Slowly lower the dumbbells back down to the starting position.—
Leoni Jesner,
Health,
1 Nov. 2025
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Police were dispatched to the scene and the owner eventually lured the pet back down to the ground by bribing it with a cookie.—
Ella Gonzales,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Even if existing obstacle avoidance systems work effectively, research is being conducted to increase flight speeds above two meters per second, allowing real-world operations to respond more quickly, according to TRR.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
2 Nov. 2025
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How to Model Healthy Disagreement While avoidance of conflict may seem to make the family dynamic feel less tense in the short term, this strategy doesn’t model how to have healthy disagreements.—
Sara Rowe Mount,
Parents,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Dado Ruvic | Reuters Bitcoin on Tuesday plunged below $100,000 for the first time in more than four months, as cryptocurrency holders backed off the risk-on asset amid growing concerns about the sustainability of stock valuations driven to stratospheric heights by the artificial intelligence trade.—
Liz Napolitano,
CNBC,
4 Nov. 2025
-
In Cincinnati's case, the developer and city backed off, ending the referendum.—
Carl Weiser,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Now in her 90s, Riddick recalled the early days of the Pumpkin Roll, when the event wasn't officially sanctioned by the city and someone at the bottom of Midland Road would tell people by radio whether there was oncoming traffic on Kavanaugh or not.—
Daniel McFadin,
Arkansas Online,
3 Nov. 2025
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Growing up, Schwarzenegger Pratt recalls her mother creating an environment of open communication at home with her and her three siblings.—
Anna Halkidis,
Parents,
3 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cop-out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cop-out. Accessed 7 Nov. 2025.
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