chicken

chicken — noun

1. a farm bird that people keep to get eggs from or to eat. The word is also used f

1.nounA2
Definition

a farm bird that people keep to get eggs from or to eat. The word is also used for the food that comes from cooking this bird.

Example

The chickens in Hana's garden give six eggs every morning.

countable: the live bird

Kofi cooked chicken with rice and beans for the family.

uncountable: the meat as food

Common collocations
  • raise chickens
  • keep chickens
  • feed the chickens
  • roast chicken
  • fried chicken
  • chicken breast
  • chicken soup
  • chicken farm
Synonyms
  • hen

    specifically an adult female chicken

  • rooster

    specifically an adult male chicken, more common in American English

  • poultry

    general term for domestic fowl kept for meat or eggs, including chickens, turkeys, and ducks

  • chick

    a baby chicken

Usage Note

Countable when referring to the living bird (three chickens). Uncountable when referring to the meat (some chicken). When ordering food, 'chicken' without an article means the meat.

Common Mistakes

I ate a chicken for dinner last night.
I ate chicken for dinner last night.
When referring to the meat, use uncountable 'chicken' without 'a'. Saying 'a chicken' means the whole live bird.

2. a person who does not have enough courage to do something difficult or frighteni

2.nounB1
Definition

a person who does not have enough courage to do something difficult or frightening

Example

Tomás was called a chicken by other kids for not jumping off the wall.

informal: called someone a chicken

Yara admitted she was a chicken and asked her cousin to try the ride first.

Common collocations
  • call someone a chicken
  • be a chicken
  • feel like a chicken
Synonyms
  • coward

    stronger and more negative; can be used in formal contexts

  • scaredy-cat

    more playful and childish; very informal

  • wimp

    informal; suggests weakness more than fear

Antonyms

Usage Note

Strongly informal. Avoid in formal writing or polite conversation. Often used playfully among friends, but can sound insulting if used seriously with strangers.

Common Mistakes

The witness was a chicken during the trial' (in a formal news report).
The witness appeared nervous during the trial.
'Chicken' for a cowardly person is too informal for formal writing.
Idioms

a chicken-and-egg situation, problem, etc.

idiom

A situation where it is unclear which of two things caused the other.

Mia faced a chicken-and-egg situation: she needed experience to get a job, but a job to get experience.

Is poverty the cause of crime, or crime the cause of poverty? It's a chicken-and-egg problem.

something comes home to roost

idiom

Used to say that bad actions will eventually cause problems for the person who did them.

After years of ignoring his health, his bad habits came home to roost.

The company's dishonest practices came home to roost when customers stopped trusting them.

don’t count your chickens (before they are hatched)

idiom

You should not be too confident that something will succeed because things can still go wrong.

Sara thought she had won the contest, but she didn't count her chickens before they hatched.

Don't count your chickens before they hatch; the deal might still fall through.

play chicken

idiom

To take part in a dangerous game where people test each other's courage, and the first to stop loses.

Two drivers played chicken on the highway, each refusing to swerve first.

Playing chicken with a train is extremely foolish and can be deadly.

run around like a headless chicken

idiom

To be very busy but disorganized, often resulting in failure to achieve anything.

Before the exam, Diego ran around like a headless chicken, forgetting his notes.

The new manager ran around like a headless chicken, but nothing got done.

chicken — adjective

chicken — verb

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/2

Chicken is an informal, slightly playful word for someone who lacks courage. It is often used among friends or by children and sounds less harsh than 'coward.' Coward is stronger and more negative — it implies a serious lack of moral courage and can be used in formal writing. Scaredy-cat is childish and very informal; adults might use it teasingly but rarely in serious criticism. Wimp focuses more on physical weakness or lack of toughness than on fear itself — a wimp might avoid something not because they are scared, but because they find it too hard or unpleasant. For example, calling a friend a chicken for refusing to try spicy food is light teasing; calling a soldier who runs from battle a coward is a serious accusation.

chicken ↗coward ↗scaredy-catwimp ↗

Common collocations

Phrases

  • play chicken
  • chicken-and-egg situation
  • count one's chickens before they hatch

Etymology

GermanicOld EnglishEnglish

The word comes from Old English 'cycen,' meaning a young fowl. It is related to the German word 'Küken' (chick). For most of its history, 'chicken' referred only to the young bird, while 'hen' and 'rooster' were used for adults. Starting in the 1600s, 'chicken' took on the meaning of a cowardly person, based on the idea that young hens are easily frightened and run away from danger.