COP-OUTS Synonyms: 58 Similar and Opposite Words

cop-out 1 of 2

noun

ˈkäp-ˌau̇t

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

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cop out

2 of 2

verb

as in to back out

to break a promise or agreement don't cop out on your promise to pay for the damage

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Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of cop-out

Noun

But merely saying that is a cop-out. —

Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 6 Feb. 2026 Retreating to one’s room in the middle of the day feels like a cop-out at many places, but here the indoor-outdoor flow transforms a late-afternoon nap into a pleasure without the guilt. —

Alex Postman, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Jan. 2026 Claiming that the shooter was still gathering is a cop-out by the refs. —

Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 15 Jan. 2026 In another day and age, the move might appear cheap — a cop-out that suggests cinematic universes and spin-offs and good old-fashioned comeuppance. —

David Fear, Rolling Stone, 11 Nov. 2025 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 Mine is probably a cop-out too. —

Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 21 Oct. 2025

Verb

To say these machines are too expense is a cop out. —

Boston Herald Editorial Staff, Boston Herald, 7 Mar. 2026 Rather than throwing those bad cops out of the union and asking for better training so cops will never have to ask what to do when a fellow cop appears to have broken the law, Hendry encourages them. —

Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 25 Feb. 2026 Herman views the administration’s statements about the complexity of the refund process—and the need for the CIT’s intervention—as a bit of a cop out. —

Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 24 Feb. 2026 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for cop-out

Noun

The Madison has extensive strains of DNA from Redford’s adaptation of The Horse Whisperer, with its emphasis on a rural escape as the ultimate salve for psychic wounds, but also Ordinary People, a film about the impact of grief on the family unit.

— Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 13 Mar. 2026
In 2007, a Syrian journalism student arrived in Damascus for an exam with a secret escape plan.

— Lise Pedersen, Variety, 13 Mar. 2026