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• coward
  coward

  noun

  a person who lacks courage in facing danger, difficulty, opposition, pain, etc.; a timid or easily intimidated person.
• Coward
  Coward

  noun

  Noel, 1899–1973, English playwright, author, actor, and composer.

coward

¹ American  

[kau-erd] / ˈkaʊ ərd /

noun

• cowards
  plural

1. a person who lacks courage in facing danger, difficulty, opposition, pain, etc.; a timid or easily intimidated person.

   Synonyms:

   milksop, recreant, dastard, poltroon, craven

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adjective

1. lacking courage; very fearful or timid.

2. proceeding from or expressive of fear or timidity.

   a coward cry.

Coward ² American  

[kau-erd] / ˈkaʊ ərd /

noun

1. Noel, 1899–1973, English playwright, author, actor, and composer.

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Coward ¹ British  

/ ˈkaʊəd /

noun

1. Sir Noël ( Pierce ). 1899–1973, English dramatist, actor, and composer, noted for his sophisticated comedies, which include Private Lives (1930) and Blithe Spirit (1941)

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coward ² British  

/ ˈkaʊəd /

noun

1. a person who shrinks from or avoids danger, pain, or difficulty

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• cowards
  plural

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

coward Coward cowards

The Daily Wire’s Matt Walsh called her “the biggest coward in the history of sports.”

From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026

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

And I hid from it like a yellow-bellied coward, keeping my mind on figures when it wasn’t wandering back to the musical note Anemone Cordimas put at the end of my name.

From "Worth" by A. LaFaye

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

Ja Morant responded with 40 points for the Grizzlies, while rookie Cedric Coward added a career-high 28 points, but the hosts fell to back-to-back defeats.

From BBC ● Dec. 31, 2025

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

Coward, his father said, his voice full of derision.

From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray

"These cowards can do absolutely nothing to us."

From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2026

In one Novosibirsk college, a director was recorded calling students cowards for refusing to sign contracts.

From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2026

And the likeliest one is also the simplest: They’re cowards.

From Salon ● Apr. 22, 2026

Decades ago, people who buckled their seat belts were thought to be signaling that they were cowards, afraid of getting in a crash.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2025

Luis stood in their path, like the brave sheriff of a town full of cowards.

From "Tangerine" by Edward Bloor

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