coward
noun
cow·ard
ˈkau̇(-ə)rd 
: one who shows disgraceful fear or timidity
a coward who deserted his troops
coward
adjective
Synonyms
Examples of coward in a Sentence
a proven coward who had deserted his troops
the soldiers who ran as soon as the first shots were fired were branded as cowards
Recent Examples on the Web
McGee, Knight, and Torres step onto the Elevator of Schemes and Secrets full of speculation, like why is LaRoche interested in scoring political points with this case, and what kind of coward hides behind a fake name anyway?
—
Sara Netzley, EW.com, 17 Dec. 2024
This sick, twisted and evil coward showed no regard for Laken or human life.
—Audrey Conklin, Fox News, 21 Nov. 2024
But then Gi-hun could die looking down on him as both a dog and a coward.
—Jennifer Zhan, Vulture, 26 Dec. 2024
The Vikings are cowards who didn't take a viking ship.
—Nick Suss, The Tennessean, 4 Oct. 2024
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Sara Netzley, EW.com, 17 Dec. 2024
This sick, twisted and evil coward showed no regard for Laken or human life.
—Audrey Conklin, Fox News, 21 Nov. 2024
But then Gi-hun could die looking down on him as both a dog and a coward.
—Jennifer Zhan, Vulture, 26 Dec. 2024
The Vikings are cowards who didn't take a viking ship.
—Nick Suss, The Tennessean, 4 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for coward
Dictionary Entries Near coward
Cite this Entry
“Coward.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/coward. Accessed 2 Feb. 2025.
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Etymology
Middle English coward "coward," from early French cuard "coward," from cue, coe "tail," from Latin cauda "tail" — related to coda, cue entry 2, queue see Word History at queue
Word Origin
A frightened animal may put its tail between its hind legs, and if it is very frightened it may run away. In an animal like the hare, the white flash of the fleeing tail is especially obvious. This action gives us the phrase turn tail, meaning "to run away, flee." But even tailless animals like people can turn tail and run when frightened. It is in the "tail end" of an army that you might expect to find the cowards. We do not know whether the word coward developed from the idea of an animal's tail or an army's, but we do know the word comes from an early French word that meant "tail."
Biographical Definition
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