chicken

1 of 3

noun

chick·​en ˈchi-kᵊn 

 sometimes  -kᵊŋ

plural chickens

1

a

: the common domestic fowl (Gallus gallus) especially when young

also : its flesh used as food compare jungle fowl

b

: any of various birds or their young

2

: a young woman

3

a

: coward

b

: any of various contests in which the participants risk personal safety in order to see which one will give up first

4

[short for chickenshit] slang : petty details

5

slang : a young or youthful gay man

also : a boy or young man regarded as an object of sexual interest especially by a man compare chicken hawk sense 3

chicken

2 of 3

adjective

1

a

: scared

b

: timid, cowardly

2

slang

a

: insistent on petty details of duty or discipline

b

: petty, unimportant

chicken

3 of 3

verb

chickened; chickening ˈchi-kᵊn-iŋ 

ˈchik-niŋ

intransitive verb

: to lose one's nerve

—usually used with out

seemed to exhibit courage, manliness, and conviction when others chickened out

—J. R. Seeley

Synonyms

Noun

• coward
• craven
• cur
• dastard
• funk
• poltroon
• recreant
• sissy

Adjective

• chicken-livered
• chickenhearted
• cowardly
• craven
• dastardly
• gutless
• lily-livered
• milk-livered [archaic]
• poltroon
• pusillanimous
• recreant
• spineless
• unheroic
• yellow

Examples of chicken in a Sentence

Noun

We had chicken for dinner.

It's just a spider, you chicken!

Don't be such a big chicken.

Adjective

too chicken to go through with the stunt

just concentrate on the important duties of the job and forget about the chicken stuff

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The chicken liver pate ($11) was rich, creamy and farmhouse-y. —The Enquirer, 23 Apr. 2024

Read Next Restaurants in Miami and Miami Beach named best spots for fried chicken in the U.S. April 18, 2024 4:30 AM Quiet Harrison Street is a world away from trendy Miami, and that’s how Sealey, who lives close to the restaurant in Hollywood Lakes, prefers it. —Connie Ogle, Miami Herald, 22 Apr. 2024

Just weeks after Grace was born, Terri, 59, shared a photo of her granddaughter next to some of the chickens at the zoo. —Charlotte Phillipp, Peoplemag, 21 Apr. 2024

Through Saturday, April 20, the chain has a Munchies Menu with its chicken sandwich (choose from Classic, Spicy, Blackened or Spicy Blackened), priced at $4.20 (about half the regular price). —Mike Snider, The Courier-Journal, 19 Apr. 2024

Customers can choose from a chicken sandwich, boneless wings, three-piece tenders or the eight-piece classic, along with a 20-ounce beverage and side of ranch. —The Arizona Republic, 19 Apr. 2024

Steak in a grocery store or chicken, how many days ago was that thing alive? —Chris Klimek, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Apr. 2024

For heartier fare, opt for a juicy half chicken or lobster au poivre. —Elise Taylor, Vogue, 17 Apr. 2024

Turn chicken and cook for 1 to 2 minutes on the other side, just until no longer pink (the chicken will still be very raw inside). —Melissa Clark, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English chiken, from Old English cicen young chicken; akin to Old English cocc cock

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

1883, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1943, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing chicken

• chicken-and-egg
• chicken colonel
• chicken feed
• chicken-fried steak
• chicken hawk
• chicken-livered
• chicken mushroom
• chicken noodle soup
• chicken of the woods
• chicken out
• chicken pox
• chicken snake
• chicken soup
• chicken wire
• like a chicken with its head cut off
• Mother Carey's chicken
• prairie chicken
• rubber-chicken
• running around like a chicken with its head cut off
• spring chicken

Kids Definition

chicken

1 of 3 noun

chick·​en ˈchik-ən 

1

: the common domestic fowl especially when young

also : its flesh used as food

2

: any of various birds or their young

3

: coward

chicken

2 of 3 adjective

: cowardly sense 1

chicken

3 of 3 verb

chickened; chickening ˈchik-(ə-)niŋ 

: to lose one's courage

—usually used with out