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chicken out

B1 informal intransitive
In simple words

You were going to do something brave or scary, but at the last second you got too frightened and decided not to do it.

Literal meaning: To behave like a chicken — chickens are culturally associated with cowardice in English.

Meanings

1 B1 idiomatic informal

To decide at the last moment not to do something because of fear or nervousness.

"He was supposed to jump off the diving board, but he chickened out at the last second."

"I was going to ask her out, but I totally chickened out."

Grammar: inseparable
2 B1 idiomatic informal

To withdraw from a commitment, challenge, or contest out of cowardice.

"She chickened out of the debate at the last minute, claiming she was ill."

Grammar: inseparable
Usage notes

Always used intransitively and inseparably. Often used with 'of' to specify what the person backed out of: 'chicken out of doing something.' Common in British and American English alike. Can be used self-deprecatingly.

Commonly used with

skydiving speech date fight dare challenge

Forms

Base
chicken out
I/you/we/they
3rd person
chickens out
he/she/it
Past simple
chickened out
yesterday
Past participle
chickened out
have + pp
-ing form
chickening out
continuous

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Synonyms

back out bottle out lose one's nerve get cold feet bail wimp out

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