chicken (out)

Definition of chicken (out)next
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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for chicken (out)
Verb
  • The board’s attorney initially said CRTPO couldn’t back out of the agreement after that deadline.
    Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 29 Apr. 2026
  • The whale faced significant odds finding its own way back out into the North Sea and into the Atlantic Ocean.
    Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 29 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • The trail eventually tilts back down toward the city, where car honks and train horns replace the cries of birds and insects.
    John Metcalfe, Mercury News, 4 May 2026
  • That pulls cooler air up and pushes warm air (which rises to the ceiling) back down into the room without creating a draft.
    Ryan Brennan May 4, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 May 2026
Verb
  • Climb the 900-odd steps (or cop out in a car) for a walk through its eight baroque bastions and some breathtaking views.
    Helen Brown, TheWeek, 30 Apr. 2026
  • To say these machines are too expense is a cop out.
    Boston Herald editorial staff, Boston Herald, 7 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Some plants wimp out when temperatures soar—but not these heat-tolerant perennials.
    Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 6 June 2025
  • These thick, long-lasting steamers will never wimp out mid-shower, and the cute packaging sure doesn't hurt either.
    Annie Blackman, Allure, 16 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • To back off from that charge, district officials proposed raising average class sizes in kindergarten through fourth grade from 24-to-1 to 28-to-1, according to the district.
    Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2026
  • The next back off the board came near the end of the third round when the San Francisco 49ers took Indiana’s Kaelon Black 90th, marking the fewest running backs taken in the first three rounds of the common draft.
    Josh Dubow, Chicago Tribune, 29 Apr. 2026
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.

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Cite this Entry

“Chicken (out).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chicken%20%28out%29. Accessed 5 May. 2026.

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