# chicken

/ˈtʃɪkən/ (US) · /tʃˈɪkɪn/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/chicken
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. the bird

noun · CEFR A1

a common farm bird that people keep for its eggs and meat.

For teachers: a domesticated subspecies of red junglefowl, Gallus gallus domesticus, typically raised for egg production or meat.

- The farmer has twenty chickens that wander around the yard every morning.
- The local cooperative focuses on heritage breeds of chicken, arguing that they are more resilient to the regional climate than industrial varieties.

### 2. the meat

noun · CEFR A1

the meat from a chicken used as food.

For teachers: the flesh of the chicken used as a culinary protein. Uncountable in this sense.

- We are having roasted chicken with potatoes for dinner tonight.
- The chef recommended marinating the chicken in lemon and herbs for several hours to ensure the meat remained tender during the high-heat roasting process.

### 3. a coward

noun · CEFR B1 · Informal

someone who is afraid to do something.

For teachers: a person perceived as lacking courage or being easily intimidated. Countable; often used as a derogatory label in informal speech.

- Don't be such a chicken — the water isn't even that cold.
- He was tired of being called a chicken by his peers, so he finally agreed to go on the steepest roller coaster in the park.

### 4. game of dare

noun · CEFR B2 · Informal

a game where two people do something dangerous to see who gets scared first.

For teachers: a game or situation in which two parties engage in a dangerous activity to see which one will yield or withdraw first.

- The two drivers were playing a dangerous game of chicken on the narrow road.
- The trade negotiations devolved into a high-stakes game of chicken, with neither nation willing to lower tariffs until the other made the first move.

### 5. cowardly

adjective · CEFR B1 · Informal

being afraid or not brave.

For teachers: exhibiting a lack of courage; cowardly. Used predicatively or before a noun in informal registers.

- He was too chicken to ask her for a dance.
- Despite his tough exterior, he admitted he was too chicken to watch the horror movie alone in the dark.

### 6. to back out

verb · CEFR B1 · Informal

to decide not to do something because you are afraid.

For teachers: to withdraw from a commitment or situation due to fear or loss of nerve. Usually appears as the phrasal verb 'chicken out'.

- I was going to go skydiving, but I chickened out at the last minute.
- She had planned to confront her manager about the unpaid overtime, but she chickened out when she saw how busy the office was.

Usage: Usually used with 'out' as 'chicken out'.

## Examples

- The farmer feeds the chicken every morning.
- We decided to have roasted chicken and fresh vegetables for our Sunday dinner.
- While the primary agricultural value of the chicken lies in mass food production, its role in rural economies often extends to pest control and soil fertilization.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.