CHICKEN OUT Definition & Meaning

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chicken out

verb

informal.
intr, adverb to fail to do something through fear or lack of conviction

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Idioms and Phrases

Back out from fear, lose one's nerve, as in In the end I chickened out and took the easier route down the mountain . Chicken is a popular synonym for “cowardly,” a usage arising in the 1600s and 1700s but then apparently abandoned until the 20th century. [ Slang ; c. 1930]

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

But he chickens out at the last minute, not realizing their relationship is strained and it is the best shot he’d ever have.

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“I hope this data helps people not chicken out — like, just go through the front door. It’s not that hard.”

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I've just pulled some sliced chicken out of the fridge, as I set out to make up some sandwiches.

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I hope he doesn’t chicken out on me.

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And, he added: “Some of them may chicken out. People are people.”

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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chicken out

verb

Idioms and Phrases

Example Sentences