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cop out

 - 8 dictionary results

cop-out

  [kop-out]
Use cop out in a Sentence
–noun Informal.
1. an act or instance of copping out; reneging; evasion: The governor's platform was a cop-out.
2. a person who cops out: Everyone helped as they had promised, except for one cop-out.
Origin:
1940–45; n. use of v. phrase cop out

cop

1  [kop]
–verb (used with object), copped, cop⋅ping. Informal.
1. to catch; nab.
2. to steal; filch.
3. to buy (narcotics).
—Verb phrase
4. cop out,
a. to avoid one's responsibility, the fulfillment of a promise, etc.; renege; back out (often fol. by on or of): He never copped out on a friend in need. You agreed to go, and you can't cop out now.
b. cop a plea.
—Idiom
5. cop a plea,
a. to plead guilty or confess in return for receiving a lighter sentence.
b. to plead guilty to a lesser charge as a means of bargaining one's way out of standing trial for a more serious charge; plea-bargain.
Origin:
1695–1705; cf. cap (obs.) to arrest, Scots cap to seize ≪ dial. OF caper to take, ult. < L capere
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To cop out
cop 2   (kŏp)   
tr.v.   copped, cop·ping, cops

  1. To take unlawfully or without permission; steal. See Synonyms at steal.

    1. To get hold of; gain or win: a show that copped four awards; copped a ticket to the game.

    2. To take or catch: "copped a quick look at the gentleman in a caramel cashmere sport coat on the right" (Gail Sheehy).

Phrasal Verb(s):
cop outTo avoid fulfilling a commitment or responsibility; renege: copped out on my friends; copped out by ducking the issue.

Idiom(s):
cop a pleaTo 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.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Slang Dictionary
cop

  1. tv.
    to take or steal something. (Originally underworld.) : Somebody copped the statue from the town square.
  2. n.
    a theft. (Underworld.) : They pulled the cop in broad daylight.
  3. n.
    a police officer. (From sense 1.) : The cop wasn't in any mood to put up with any monkey business.
  4. tv.
    to arrest someone. (See also copped.) : They copped Sam with the evidence right on him.
  5. n.
    an arrest. : It was a smooth cop. No muss, no fuss.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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cop out

  1. in.
    to plead guilty (to a lesser charge). (Underworld. See also cop a plea.) : I decided not to cop out and got a mouthpiece instead.
  2. in.
    to give up and quit; to chicken out (of (sth) ). : Why do you want to cop out just when things are going great?
  3. n.
    a poor excuse to get out of something. (Usually cop-out or copout.) : That's not a good reason. That's just a cop-out.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Word Origin & History

cop  (v.)
1704, northern British dialect, "seize," perhaps from M.Fr. caper "seize, to take," from L. capere "to take" (see capable); or from Du. kapen "to take," from O.Fris. capia "to buy." Cop out (v.) and cop-out (n.) are Amer.Eng., first recorded 1942, probably from cop a plea (c.1925) "plead guilty to lesser charges."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Financial Dictionary

COP

See certificate of participation.

Wall Street Words: An A to Z Guide to Investment Terms by David L. Scott.
Copyright © 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Idioms & Phrases

cop out

Back out of a responsibility or commitment; also, take the easy way out. For example, Don't count on him; he's been known to fake illness and cop out, or She'll cop out and let her assistant do all the work. These meanings are derived from the underworld slang use of cop out for backing down or surrendering. [Late 1950s]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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