COP OUT | Meaning, Definition In Cambridge English Dictionary

Meaning of cop out in English

cop out

phrasal verb with cop verb [ T ] uk /kɒp/ us /kɑːp/ -pp- informal Add to word list Add to word list to avoid doing something that you should do or that you have promised to do because you are frightened, shy, or you think it is too difficult: cop out of She copped out of the parachute jump at the last minute with some feeble excuse. Avoiding action

• abrogate
• abrogation
• avoid
• avoid something like the plague idiom
• avoidance
• end-run
• eschew
• evade
• evader
• evasion
• fiddle
• fiddle around phrasal verb
• insure
• shirk
• short circuit
• shrink from something phrasal verb
• shy away from something phrasal verb
• sit on your arse idiom
• steer
• welch

See more results » cop-outnoun [ C usually singular ]   slang uk /ˈkɒp.aʊt/ us /ˈkɑːp.aʊt/ a way of avoiding doing something difficult or unpleasant that you should do, or the excuse that you use to do this: She always thought that having a family instead of a career was a cop-out. Avoiding action

• abrogate
• abrogation
• avoid
• avoid something like the plague idiom
• avoidance
• end-run
• eschew
• evade
• evader
• evasion
• fiddle
• fiddle around phrasal verb
• insure
• shirk
• short circuit
• shrink from something phrasal verb
• shy away from something phrasal verb
• sit on your arse idiom
• steer
• welch

See more results » (Definition of cop out from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

cop-out | American Dictionary

cop-outnoun [ C ]   slang us /ˈkɑpˌɑʊt/ (also cop out) Add to word list Add to word list a way or an excuse to avoid responsibility or to avoid doing something: A plea of temporary insanity is a cop-out and should not be allowed, he said. (Definition of cop out from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press) What is the pronunciation of cop-out?

Translations of cop out

in Chinese (Traditional) 逃避，退出, 逃避，迴避, 藉口… See more in Chinese (Simplified) 逃避，退出, 逃避，回避, 借口… See more in Spanish librarse, pretexto, excusa [feminine]… See more in Portuguese desculpa [feminine]… See more Need a translator?

Get a quick, free translation!

Translator tool

Browse

cop a feel idiom cop a plea idiom cop it idiom cop off phrasal verb cop out phrasal verb cop shop cop to something phrasal verb copacetic copal BETA {{#randomImageQuizHook.filename}} {{#randomImageQuizHook.isQuiz}} Test your vocabulary with our fun image quizzes Try a quiz now {{/randomImageQuizHook.isQuiz}} {{^randomImageQuizHook.isQuiz}} {{/randomImageQuizHook.isQuiz}} {{/randomImageQuizHook.filename}}

Word of the Day

the mother of all something

an extreme example of something

About this

Blog

All hands on deck! (Nautical Idioms, Part 2)

December 17, 2025 Read More

New Words

quiet cracking December 22, 2025 More new words has been added to list To top AI Assistant Contents EnglishAmericanTranslations AI Assistant {{#displayLoginPopup}} Cambridge Dictionary +Plus

Learn more with +Plus

Sign up for free and get access to exclusive content: Free word lists and quizzes from Cambridge Tools to create your own word lists and quizzes Word lists shared by our community of dictionary fans Sign up now or Log in Cambridge Dictionary +Plus

Learn more with +Plus

Create word lists and quizzes for free Sign up now or Log in {{/displayLoginPopup}} {{#displayClassicSurvey}} {{/displayClassicSurvey}}

• Cambridge Dictionary +Plus
• My profile
• +Plus help
• Log out

AI Assistant Dictionary Definitions Clear explanations of natural written and spoken English English Learner’s Dictionary Essential British English Essential American English Translations Click on the arrows to change the translation direction. Bilingual Dictionaries English–Chinese (Simplified) Chinese (Simplified)–English English–Chinese (Traditional) Chinese (Traditional)–English English–Danish Danish–English English–Dutch Dutch–English English–French French–English English–German German–English English–Indonesian Indonesian–English English–Italian Italian–English English–Japanese Japanese–English English–Norwegian Norwegian–English English–Polish Polish–English English–Portuguese Portuguese–English English–Spanish Spanish–English English–Swedish Swedish–English Semi-bilingual Dictionaries English–Arabic English–Bengali English–Catalan English–Czech English–Gujarati English–Hindi English–Korean English–Malay English–Marathi English–Russian English–Tamil English–Telugu English–Thai English–Turkish English–Ukrainian English–Urdu English–Vietnamese Translate Grammar Thesaurus Pronunciation Cambridge Dictionary +Plus Games {{userName}}

• Cambridge Dictionary +Plus
• My profile
• +Plus help
• Log out

Log in / Sign up English (UK) Change English (UK) English (US) Español Português 中文 (简体) 正體中文 (繁體) Dansk Deutsch Français Italiano Nederlands Norsk Polski Русский Türkçe Tiếng Việt Svenska Українська 日本語 한국어 ગુજરાતી தமிழ் తెలుగు বাঙ্গালি मराठी हिंदी Follow us Choose a dictionary

• Recent and Recommended {{#preferredDictionaries}} {{name}} {{/preferredDictionaries}}
• Definitions Clear explanations of natural written and spoken English English Learner’s Dictionary Essential British English Essential American English
• Grammar and thesaurus Usage explanations of natural written and spoken English Grammar Thesaurus
• Pronunciation British and American pronunciations with audio English Pronunciation
• Translation Click on the arrows to change the translation direction. Bilingual Dictionaries
  • English–Chinese (Simplified) Chinese (Simplified)–English
  • English–Chinese (Traditional) Chinese (Traditional)–English
  • English–Danish Danish–English
  • English–Dutch Dutch–English
  • English–French French–English
  • English–German German–English
  • English–Indonesian Indonesian–English
  • English–Italian Italian–English
  • English–Japanese Japanese–English
  • English–Norwegian Norwegian–English
  • English–Polish Polish–English
  • English–Portuguese Portuguese–English
  • English–Spanish Spanish–English
  • English–Swedish Swedish–English
  Semi-bilingual Dictionaries English–Arabic English–Bengali English–Catalan English–Czech English–Gujarati English–Hindi English–Korean English–Malay English–Marathi English–Russian English–Tamil English–Telugu English–Thai English–Turkish English–Ukrainian English–Urdu English–Vietnamese
• Dictionary +Plus Word Lists

Choose your language English (UK) English (US) Español Português 中文 (简体) 正體中文 (繁體) Dansk Deutsch Français Italiano Nederlands Norsk Polski Русский Türkçe Tiếng Việt Svenska Українська 日本語 한국어 ગુજરાતી தமிழ் తెలుగు বাঙ্গালি मराठी हिंदी Contents

• English   Phrasal verbNoun
• American   Noun

• Translations
• Grammar
• All translations

My word lists

To add cop out to a word list please sign up or log in.

Sign up or Log in My word lists

Add cop out to one of your lists below, or create a new one.

{{#verifyErrors}}

{{message}}

{{/verifyErrors}} {{^verifyErrors}} {{#message}}

{{message}}

{{/message}} {{^message}}

Something went wrong.

{{/message}} {{/verifyErrors}} {{name}} More Go to your word lists {{#verifyErrors}}

{{message}}

{{/verifyErrors}} {{^verifyErrors}} {{#message}}

{{message}}

{{/message}} {{^message}}

Something went wrong.

{{/message}} {{/verifyErrors}} Tell us about this example sentence: The word in the example sentence does not match the entry word. The sentence contains offensive content. Cancel Submit Thanks! Your feedback will be reviewed. {{#verifyErrors}}

{{message}}

{{/verifyErrors}} {{^verifyErrors}} {{#message}}

{{message}}

{{/message}} {{^message}}

There was a problem sending your report.

{{/message}} {{/verifyErrors}} The word in the example sentence does not match the entry word. The sentence contains offensive content. Cancel Submit Thanks! Your feedback will be reviewed. {{#verifyErrors}}

{{message}}

{{/verifyErrors}} {{^verifyErrors}} {{#message}}

{{message}}

{{/message}} {{^message}}

There was a problem sending your report.

{{/message}} {{/verifyErrors}}