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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chickening (out)
Verb
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After backing out of an agreement to trade first-round picks in 2026 and 2027 for Crosby, DeCosta was decried as dishonorable, dirty and duplicitous, especially after Baltimore signed another accomplished edge rusher, Trey Hendrickson, to a free-agent deal the following day.—
Michael Silver,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026 -
Investigators say Horner accidentally struck the child with his delivery truck while backing out of the driveway.—
Amelia Mugavero,
CBS News,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
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But even speaking to a friendly interviewer, Kerr sounds like a guy backing off.—
Dan Zaksheske OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
27 Apr. 2026
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Some of their goals from throw-ins, with oppositions backing off in anticipation and possibly fear of one of Pinnock’s long throws, have also come from quick restarts and delivering quality crosses into the box.—
Anantaajith Raghuraman,
New York Times,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
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When Mamdani’s predecessor Eric Adams proposed simply letting schools’ funding shrink along with enrollment, he was sued, protested against, and, eventually, bullied into backing down.—
Marc Novicoff,
The Atlantic,
28 Apr. 2026
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And similar to 23 years ago, these Pistons don’t plan on backing down either.—
Jason Beede,
The Orlando Sentinel,
26 Apr. 2026
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“Chickening (out).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chickening%20%28out%29. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
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