Word.ws English Dictionary

copout

copout is the alternative spelling of cop-out.

Meaning of cop-out

Noun

cop-out (plural cop-outs)

  1. (slang) Avoidance or inadequate performance of a task or duty; the action of copping out.
    • His disappearance on the day of the audition was just a cop-out.
  2. (slang) An excuse made in order to avoid performing a task or duty; a reason offered when someone cops out.
    • It was a cop-out to say he couldn't sign the petition because he sprained his wrist.
  3. (slang) A person who cops out.
    • He's always a cop-out when there's hard work to be done.

Forms of copout

pluralcopouts

Origin of copout

Deverbal from cop out.

Questions about copout

What is copout the alternative spelling of?
Copout is the alternative spelling of cop-out.

Words near copout in the dictionary

  1. copolypeptides
  2. copositive
  3. copositivity
  4. copotain
  5. copotains
  6. copout
  7. copouts
  8. copovidone
  9. copovidones
  10. copower
  11. copowers

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: copout (page history and authors); cop-out (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated:

Cite this entry: “copout.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/copout. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.