cop out
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cop 1
(kŏp)n. Informal
1. A police officer.
2. One that regulates certain behaviors or actions: "Faced with the world recession of the early 1980s, ... the World Bank ... became a stern economic taskmaster and cop" (Richard J. Barnet).
[Short for copper.]
cop 2
(kŏp) Slangtr.v. copped, cop·ping, cops
Phrasal Verb: 1.
a. To get hold of; gain or win: a show that copped four awards; copped a ticket to the game.
b. To perceive by one of the senses: "copped a quick look at the gentleman ... on the right" (Gail Sheehy).
2. To take unlawfully or without permission; steal.
cop out
Idioms: To avoid fulfilling a commitment or responsibility; renege: copped out on my friends; copped out by ducking the issue.
cop a feel
To fondle someone sexually in a surreptitious way.
cop a plea
To plead guilty to a lesser charge so as to avoid standing trial for a more serious charge.
[Probably variant of cap, to catch, from Old French caper, from Latin capere; see capture.]
cop 3
(kŏp)n.
1. A cone-shaped or cylindrical roll of yarn or thread wound on a spindle.
2. Chiefly British A summit or crest, as of a hill.
[Middle English, summit, from Old English.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
cop out
vb
(intr, adverb) to fail to assume responsibility or to commit oneself
n
1. an instance of avoiding responsibility or commitment
2. a person who acts in this way
[C20: probably from cop1]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
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| Verb | 1. | cop out - choose not to do something, as out of fear of failing; "She copped out when she was supposed to get into the hang glider" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
cop out
verb (Slang) avoid, dodge, abandon, withdraw from, desert, quit, skip, renounce, revoke, renege, skive (Brit. slang), bludge (Austral. & N.Z. informal) He copped out of going at the last minute.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
cop
nounverb
1. Slang. To take (another's property) without permission:
Idiom: make off with.
cop out
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
w>cop out
vi (inf) → aussteigen (inf) → (of aus)
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007