chicken out
phrasal verb
chickened out; chickening out; chickens out
informal
: to decide not to do something because one is afraid
He was going to ask her on a date, but he chickened out at the last minute.
Examples of chicken out in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Raccoons can reach through and pull chickens out through holes.
—
Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 31 Oct. 2024
The movie dips a toe in the waters of body horror but chickens out before diving in.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Sep. 2024
Use tongs to lift the chicken out of the bowl, letting any excess brine drip back into the bowl.
—Sheela Prakash, Bon Appétit, 19 June 2024
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illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of
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Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 31 Oct. 2024
The movie dips a toe in the waters of body horror but chickens out before diving in.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Sep. 2024
Use tongs to lift the chicken out of the bowl, letting any excess brine drip back into the bowl.
—Sheela Prakash, Bon Appétit, 19 June 2024
Dictionary Entries Near chicken out
Cite this Entry
“Chicken out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chicken%20out. Accessed 14 Nov. 2024.
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