white feather
Americannoun
idioms
noun
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a symbol or mark of cowardice
-
to act in a cowardly manner
Etymology
Origin of white feather
First recorded in 1775–85; originally from a white feather in a gamecock's tail, taken as a sign of inferior breeding and hence of poor fighting qualities
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.
In the final scene of “Forrest Gump,” a white feather dances from Forrest’s feet, into the air, representing one of the movie’s major threads: Are life’s joys and agonies predestined, or are they indiscriminate?
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 26, 2025
During the emotional event, a white feather fell from the sky, which Ms Chambers took as a sign that Sara was looking down on them.
From BBC ● Dec. 11, 2024
After the Oscars, just two days before his surprise retirement announcement, Roach put Ann Demeulemeester in a tiny white feather top for the Vanity Fair afterparty and worked with several others on Hollywood’s big night.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 22, 2023
And “Icarus” frames white feather shapes in tongues of yellow sunlight, implying a wing falling toward the blue water below.
From New York Times ● Jan. 22, 2020
She fixed her a crown of braids, leaving most of it tumbling long, and wove in vines and sprays of orchids, sprigs of fern, and the one white feather.
From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor
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.
