cop out

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cop 1

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) Slang
tr.v. copped, cop·ping, cops
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.
Phrasal Verb:
cop out
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.]

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cop 3

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.]

cop out

(intr, adverb) to fail to assume responsibility or to commit oneself
1. an instance of avoiding responsibility or commitment
2. a person who acts in this way
[C20: probably from cop1]
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Verb1.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"
opt, prefer, choose - select as an alternative over another; "I always choose the fish over the meat courses in this restaurant"; "She opted for the job on the East coast"

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.


Informal. A member of a law-enforcement agency:
Informal: law.
Slang: bull, copper, flatfoot, fuzz, gendarme, heat, man (often uppercase).
Chiefly British: bobby, constable, peeler.
1. Slang. To take (another's property) without permission:
Informal: lift, swipe.
2. Slang. To obtain possession or control of:
phrasal verb
cop out
Slang. To abandon a former position or commitment:
Slang: fink out.

w>cop out

vi (inf)aussteigen (inf)(of aus)