Cop-out Definition & Meaning

American

British

Idioms

Usage

Etymology

Examples

Synonyms cop-out American [kop-out] / ˈkɒpˌaʊt /

noun

Informal.

1. an act or instance of copping out; reneging; evasion.

   The governor's platform was a cop-out.

2. a person who cops out.

   Everyone helped as they had promised, except for one cop-out.

cop out British

verb

1. (intr, adverb) to fail to assume responsibility or to commit oneself

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

1. an instance of avoiding responsibility or commitment

2. a person who acts in this way

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 cop out Idioms

1. Back out of a responsibility or commitment; also, take the easy way out. For example, Don't count on him; he's been known to fake illness and cop out, or She'll cop out and let her assistant do all the work. These meanings are derived from the underworld slang use of cop out for backing down or surrendering. [Late 1950s]

Usage

What does cop-out mean? Cop-out is a slang term for the act or an instance of backing out of a situation or commitment or avoiding responsibility for something.When you take the easy way out to avoid doing something challenging or making a difficult choice, that’s a cop-out. An excuse can be called a cop-out.The term is sometimes spelled without a hyphen (cop out) or as one word (copout).The verb cop out (without a hyphen) means to back out or avoid something in this way, especially something you’ve committed to doing. Similar terms are flake and flake out. When used as a verb, cop out is usually followed by a preposition (typically on or of) and the thing being avoided or backed out of, as in You just knew he was going to cop out on us again with some lame excuse. Less commonly, cop-out can refer to a person who has copped out or who is known for copping out.Both the noun and verb senses of the word are used negatively to criticize people who cop out.Example: His response to the question is a total cop-out—he’s just afraid to answer it directly.

Etymology

Origin of cop-out

First recorded in 1940–45; noun use of verb phrase cop out

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.

As I wrote about last week, all-sides dinner — regardless of the season — isn’t a cop-out.

From Salon

Hyland can’t resolve her shapeless play, so she has Sally talk her way into the future in a rambling monologue that’s a complete cop-out.

From Los Angeles Times

An all-sides meal isn’t a cop-out; it’s a template.

From Salon

That’s a little bit of a cop-out—pun intended.

From The Wall Street Journal

I think fun’s a cop-out, sometimes, when things aren’t going well—everybody likes to say, “Well, let’s just have fun.”

From The Wall Street Journal

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.