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
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
"A coward, Kimmel hides behind ABC because he knows the network will keep running cover to protect him," the first lady added on Monday.
From Barron's ● Apr. 27, 2026
The 53-year-old carpenter was branded a "coward" by Judge Mrs Justice Naomi Ellenbogen for not attending his sentencing after a retrial at Inner London Crown Court.
From BBC ● Jan. 16, 2026
And Dasch thought Heinck was a loudmouthed coward.
From Nazi Saboteurs by Samantha Seiple
The two actresses make for a smashing comic duo in this production of the Noël Coward play about two women eager to rekindle a romance with the same French lothario.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 21, 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
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
Coward, his father said, his voice full of derision.
From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
Instead, like cowards, they cast around for weaker parties to victimize.
From Salon ● Jun. 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
"They've all been cowards there," wrote one X user, adding: "Niko has been voted because he's an outsider and he's not in their celebrity world. Nothing to do with the game."
From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2025
Stellan Skarsgård, “Sentimental Value” “I haven’t even seen ‘Jay Kelly’ yet, but give Adam Sandler his nomination, you cowards.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2025
He tell me them boys was cowards, and maybe he could have them pointing they fingers one at the other.
From "Girls Like Us" by Gail Giles
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.
