chickened

word · lemma: chicken out

Definition

'Chickened' is the past tense of 'chicken out,' meaning to suddenly decide not to do something because you are afraid.

Usage & Nuances

Informal/slang. Used only for being scared to do something, especially last minute. Common: 'chickened out' (full phrase). Do not use for general quitting; it means specifically backing out of something out of fear. Never used as a noun.

Spanish: acobardarse - rajarse Portuguese (BR): amarelar - desistir (por medo)Portuguese (PT): acobardar-se - desistir (por medo)Chinese (Simplified): 临阵退缩 - 胆怯 Chinese (Traditional): 臨陣退縮 - 怯懦 Hindi: डरकर पीछे हटना Arabic: جبُن (تراجع من الخوف)Bengali: ভয়ে পিছিয়ে পড়েছিলাম - সাহস হারিয়েছিলাম Russian: струсил - струсила Japanese: 怖気づいた - 怖じ気づいた Vietnamese: rụt lui vì sợ - chùn bước Korean: 겁먹었다 - 겁이 나서 포기했다 Turkish: korktu - ödü koptu Urdu: ڈر گیا - خوف زدہ ہو گیا Indonesian: mundur karena takut - ciut nyali

Example Sentences

He chickened at the top of the diving board.

basic

She almost asked him out, but then she chickened.

basic

I wanted to try the roller coaster, but I chickened at the last minute.

basic

We were going to sneak into the movie, but Jake chickened and backed out.

natural

I was going to get a tattoo, but honestly, I chickened.

natural

Everyone else jumped from the rock, but I totally chickened.

natural