cop out meaning: definition, etymology and quotations

cop out

verbalso spelled cop-out

Etymology Attested since 1942 as “flee, escape, cop (an) out”.

7 senses

Idiomatic To avoid or shirk, either by failing to perform, or by performing in a grossly insufficient, negligent, or superficial manner.

Faced with the prospect of cooking for himself, his first thought was to cop out and order a pizza.
There was no bird fair at Druridge so I didn't have to feel guilty about copping out of it.2000, Bill Oddie, Gripping Yarns, page 67:

To plead guilty and ask for mercy.

Idiomatic, Slang To blame; to assign blame to; to get into trouble.

US, Dated, Idiomatic To remove from a situation or crowd, such as for arrest or punishment.

To leave a gang.

Idiomatic, Slang To abandon, let down or betray (someone).

Idiomatic, Slang To win (someone) over; to get on (someone's) good side.

noun

Etymology Deverbal from cop out.

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.
In the book, his conclusion is simple: capitalism is kaput, celebrity charity won’t plug holes, revolution is the only solution. Yet it also feels like a bit of a cop-out: he insists all this can be achieved through love, peace and understanding.2014 October 11, Simon Hattenstone, “Russell Brand: ‘I want to address the alienation and despair’”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 01 Jul 2022:

1 more example

“It’s interesting what he stayed away from,” said Cameron. “Look, I love the film-making, but I did feel that it was a bit of a moral cop-out.”2025 July 2, Catherine Shoard, quoting James Cameron, “James Cameron calls Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer a ‘moral cop-out’”, in The Guardian, →ISSN, archived from the original on 19 Jul 2025:

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.

Slang A person who cops out.

He's always a cop-out when there's hard work to be done.
Even when they are talking one-on-one, we aren't allowed to see behind the posturing and emblematic language. The major exception to this is Da Mayor […] who is both scorned and respected, seen as both a cop-out and a hero.1989 August 12, Kate Rushin, “Is Better Than Hollywood Good Enough?”, in Gay Community News, volume 17, number 5, page 8: