English

Alternative forms

• copout

Noun

cop-out ‎(plural cop-outs)

1. (idiomatic) Avoidance or inadequate performance of a task or duty; the action of copping out.

   His disappearance on the day of the audition was just a cop-out.

2. (idiomatic) An excuse made in order to avoid performing a task or duty; a reason offered when someone cops out.

   It was a cop-out to say he couldn't sign the petition because he sprained his wrist.

3. (idiomatic) A person who cops out.

   He's always a cop-out when there's hard work to be done.

Translations

References

• “cop-out” in Dictionary.com Unabridged, v1.0.1, Lexico Publishing Group, 2006.
• “cop-out” in Microsoft's Encarta World English Dictionary, North American Edition (2007)
• “cop-out” in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Online.
• "cop-out" in the Wordsmyth Dictionary-Thesaurus (Wordsmyth, 2002)
• "cop-out" in Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary (Cambridge University Press, 2007)