chickened (out)

verb

past tense of chicken (out)
as in backed off

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for chickened (out)
  1. backed off
  2. backed out
  3. backed down
Verb
  • Cinema United, the movie theater trade organization, once vociferously opposed to the merger, backed off Tuesday and called for a settlement to avoid industry uncertainty.
    — Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 20 Aug. 2026
  • The Los Angeles district attorney has backed off felony charges against a police officer who secretly recorded his colleagues making racist remarks after facing criticism the response was too harsh and could deter whistleblowers from coming forward.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of backed off
Verb
  • Not wanting to risk a claw to the face, the officers backed out and reassessed the situation.
    — Mack DeGeurin, Popular Science, 2 Sep. 2026
  • The championship caps a year that began with London’s High Court ordering Palou to pay McLaren Racing more than $12 million in a breach of contract suit the team filed when the Spaniard backed out of two different deals with the racing team.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of backed out
Verb
  • The Brawling Birds, Alex Windsor and Jamie Hayter, have been two women who have not backed down from challenging Bayne and Kross.
    — Ryan Gaydos OutKick, FOXNews.com, 29 Aug. 2026
  • The club backed down, increasing prices by three per cent for this season and introducing a price freeze for the 2027-28 campaign.
    — Matt Woosnam, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of backed down
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

chicken
chickened (out)
chicken feed
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Cite this Entry

“Chickened (out).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chickened%20%28out%29. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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