chicken out

British  

verb

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

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chicken out Idioms  

1. 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

See Examples For:

chicken out

Talking to the only other couple who managed not to chicken out like we did, I’ll never forget the looks on their faces when they learned we’d left in the midnight hour.

From Salon ● Oct. 31, 2025

And now Chelsi Stone is glad she didn’t chicken out.

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 16, 2022

I didn’t just chicken out of it, so I am definitely proud of that.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 6, 2022

I’m at my most powerful the moment I pull a perfect roast chicken out of the oven, and little makes me happier than sending my friends home full.

From New York Times ● Oct. 13, 2021

“Well, if you two are going to chicken out, fine,” she said.

From "Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets" by J. K. Rowling