cop out
verb
Forms cops out copping out copped out
- verb (idiomatic) To avoid or shirk, either by failing to perform, or by performing in a grossly insufficient, negligent, or superficial manner. “Faced with the prospect of cooking for himself, his first thought was to cop out and order a pizza.”
- verb To plead guilty and ask for mercy.
- verb (idiomatic, slang) To blame; to assign blame to; to get into trouble. “His lawyer copped him out on just one felony charge.”
- verb (idiomatic, dated, US) To remove from a situation or crowd, such as for arrest or punishment. “Somebody should have copped him out last night.”
- verb To leave a gang. “I can't believe you copped out on us.”
- verb (idiomatic, slang) To abandon, let down or betray (someone). “She thought I'd copped out on her.”
- verb (idiomatic, slang, transitive) To win (someone) over; to get on (someone's) good side.
Synonyms
goof off weasel out blow off dog doss duck flinch goldbrick lollygag malinger procrastinate shirk shrink slack off soldier swing the lead double-cross sell out stab in the back assfuck opt out
Etymology
Attested since 1942 as “flee, escape, cop (an) out”.
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 — from the Wiktionary entry “cop out”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details