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
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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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Cite this Entry

“Chicken out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chicken%20out. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

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