lacking courage; very fearful or timid.
proceeding from or expressive of fear or timidity.
a coward cry.
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English, from Old French couard-, couart “cowardly,” from coue “tail” (from Latin cauda, cōda ) + -art -ard
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.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
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
“We wanted everyone to see what a complete and utter coward he is once you remove his powers, pretty much like every autocrat and strongman,” Kripke says.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 10, 2026
The Australian leader's comments were condemned, however, by the outspoken activist Grace Tame who labelled them a "patronising cop out from a total coward".
From Barron's ● Feb. 26, 2026
"Devenport was a coward, he has shown no remorse for his actions and throughout the investigation he has refused to admit what he did."
From BBC ● Feb. 25, 2026
But I guess I was a bit of a coward in that moment.
From "The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams" by Daniel Nayeri
Baranski has previously appeared in several other Coward plays, such as Fumed Oak, Private Lives and Blithe Spirit.
From BBC ● Apr. 16, 2026
“Disclaimers are a great way to provide flexibility for making smart decisions after a death,” says Diane Thompson, an attorney with Pender & Coward who has worked on about 1,000 disclaimers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 3, 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
At Memphis, Cedric Coward went 6-for-6 from three-point range and scored a game-high 27 points off the bench to lead the host Grizzlies over Indiana 128-103.
From Barron's ● Oct. 26, 2025
“Hold up. Coward? That’s how he wrote me?”
From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas
And the likeliest one is also the simplest: They’re cowards.
From Salon ● Apr. 22, 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
Guadagnino’s driving interest is attacking academia as a rat’s nest of egomaniacs and cowards and insular, faux-radical thinking.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2025
"I'm not afraid of cowards," she told BBC Newsnight.
From BBC ● Apr. 28, 2025
"And Chella told him only cowards kill the vanquished."
From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin
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.
