chicken 1 of 2

as in coward
a person who shows a shameful lack of courage in the face of danger a staunch hawk during the drumbeat for war, he proved to be a chicken when it came to actually fighting it

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

chicken

2 of 2

adjective

Examples Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of chicken
Noun
And if there’s a chicken, beef, or dairy farm upstream? Erica Sloan, SELF, 10 Jan. 2025 The Next Evolution of Cantonese Food: A wave of new restaurants are challenging diners to go beyond sesame chicken and crab Rangoon. Luke Fortney, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2025 In addition to raising chickens on 50 acres of the 60-acre property, the two run a general store that sells artisan bread, dairy products, chicken and eggs. Julie Gallant, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Jan. 2025 From roasted chicken to shrimp skewers to grilled vegetables, there’s no need to waste oil. Abigail Wilt, Southern Living, 30 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for chicken 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chicken
Noun
  • 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
Adjective
  • The look features bright coral eyeshadow covering the eyelid, a fuchsia shade in the crease, and a swipe of fluorescent yellow eyeliner on the outside half of the eye and right under the brow.
    Andrea Park, Teen Vogue, 20 July 2017
  • Three prominent Austin chefs teamed up with the Youngblood family to build a new restaurant from scratch that looks like a legacy chicken dinner house, down to the bright blue-and-yellow colors and the helpings of hot yeast rolls with honey.
    Bud Kennedy, star-telegram, 19 July 2017
Adjective
  • While some of the nominees fall far afield from the norms—Hegseth, Gabbard, and RFK Jr. are the marquee names in that cohort, for sure—the bulk will face only nominal opposition from Democrats.
    Philip Elliott, TIME, 8 Jan. 2025
  • Of course, all the good deeds in the world can’t buy your way into heaven, but as a nominal Catholic, Biden may have been persuaded by the Pope to commute the sentences.
    Chris Roemer, Baltimore Sun, 2 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • In need of a way to raise funds, but afraid of the political consequences of implementing new taxes, state lawmakers opted to experiment with a lottery.
    Karissa Waddick, USA TODAY, 11 Jan. 2025
  • Some children might regress to an earlier stage of development, becoming afraid of going to school and leaving their parents.
    Jenny Gold, Los Angeles Times, 11 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • The snow started falling Sunday afternoon, with a slight mix of hail.
    Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 19 Jan. 2025
  • That slight warming trend is expected to continue Friday, when high temperatures reach the upper 30s, with lows in the upper teens.
    Matt Hubbard, Baltimore Sun, 19 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Read Next Florida Shelter thought dog was scared — but something else was wrong.
    Simone Jasper, Miami Herald, 15 Jan. 2025
  • Advertisement Thirty years ago, Blake was himself a scared kid.
    Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 15 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Those in-the-moment progressions can feel tiny and barely perceptible from one session to the next.
    Cindy Kuzma, SELF, 16 Jan. 2025
  • Despite their immense size, these gentle giants are filter feeders, primarily consuming plankton, small fish, and other tiny organisms by swimming with their mouths open to filter food from the water.
    Melissa Cristina Marquez, Forbes, 16 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Growers reported a drop in workers showing up to their jobs, and advocacy groups saw a surge of frightened families show up to legal workshops on how to protect themselves against deportation.
    Rachel Uranga, Los Angeles Times, 19 Jan. 2025
  • When Julia arrived with a can of cat food, the first kitten had already been adopted, but the second—a frightened and feisty tabby—was still there.
    Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 12 Dec. 2024

Thesaurus Entries Near chicken

Cite this Entry

“Chicken.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chicken. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.

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