coward
noun
a person who lacks courage in facing danger, difficulty, opposition, pain, etc.; a timid or easily intimidated person.
coward
1 American
[kou-erd]
/ ˈkaʊ ərd /
noun
-
cowards
plural
adjective
-
lacking courage; very fearful or timid.
-
proceeding from or expressive of fear or timidity.
a coward cry.
Coward
2
American
[kou-erd]
/ ˈkaʊ ərd /
noun
Coward
1
British
/ ˈkaʊəd /
noun
coward
2
British
/ ˈkaʊəd /
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of coward
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English, from Old French couard-, couart “cowardly,” from coue “tail” (from Latin cauda, cōda ) + -art -ard
Explanation
A coward is someone who’s afraid of doing something daring or dangerous. Skydiving might sound exciting in theory, but you might be a coward when it comes to actually jumping out of a plane. Which is probably wise. Coward comes from the Latin word couda, meaning “tail.” Have you ever seen a scared puppy with its tail between its legs? That’s what people who are cowards would be doing if they had tails. Being afraid of something dangerous might make someone a coward, but the word can also describe someone who avoids doing something difficult or unpleasant. If your boss makes his assistant deliver the unpleasant news about layoffs, you might call him a coward.
Vocabulary lists containing coward
Words from Shakespearean Insults
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Beowulf vocabulary
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Excerpts from "The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
In Jefferson’s mind Henry was a lazy lightweight, Hamilton a monarchist and a coward, Burr an insurrectionist and Marshall an implacable foe.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
But Reilly, who calls himself a coward and claims to be no hero, regards his mutant abilities as “a part of me I wish never existed. With no power, there’s no responsibility.”
From Los Angeles Times ● May 25, 2026
"Today, we won't reflect on the loss of a coward," said the Police Association of Victoria.
From Barron's ● Mar. 30, 2026
He called Jamieson "a coward" who was "consumed by self-pity".
From BBC ● Jan. 12, 2026
The BFG, knowing what a coward the Fleshlumpeater was, saw his chance.
From "The BFG" by Roald Dahl
Nyuk, nyuk, as Noël Coward used to say.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
Their feud has more personal roots, which Coward takes his time to reveal.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
Baranski has previously appeared in several other Coward plays, such as Fumed Oak, Private Lives and Blithe Spirit.
From BBC ● Apr. 16, 2026
News of a special dinner guest, superstar playwright Noël Coward, transforms Daisy into an Iron Chef: “Well, tonight he’s getting Coquilles Saint-Jacques and Gressingham Duck, and he better like it.”
From Salon ● Nov. 1, 2025
“Hold up. Coward? That’s how he wrote me?”
From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas
"It is what it is. Same old cliche a decade later. Keep running you little cowards," he added.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
Instead, like cowards, they cast around for weaker parties to victimize.
From Salon ● Jun. 17, 2026
The Brazil forward, who has been the victim of numerous incidents of racist abuse during his playing career, said "racists are, above all, cowards" in a post on Instagram.
From BBC ● Feb. 17, 2026
Breaking ranks in a constitutional democracy may not incur the same risks as in a totalitarian regime, but revising the dictionary of received ideas isn’t for cowards in any society.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 18, 2025
Some even accused those men of being fakers and cowards.
From "Code Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of World War Two" by Joseph Bruchac
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
