to avoid one's responsibility, the fulfillment of a promise, etc.; renege; back out (often followed by on or of): He never copped out on a friend in need. You agreed to go, and you can't cop out now.
cop a plea.
Idioms for cop
cop a plea, Slang.
to plead guilty or confess in return for receiving a lighter sentence.
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 of cop
1
First recorded in 1695–1705; of uncertain origin; compare cap (obsolete) “to arrest,” Scots cap “to seize,” ultimately from dialectal Old French caper “to take,” from Latin capere
a person who seeks to regulate a specified behavior, activity, practice, etc.: character cops.
Origin of cop
2
First recorded in 1855–60; shortening of copper2
Definition for cop (3 of 6)
cop3
[ kop ]
/ kɒp /
noun
a conical mass of thread, yarn, etc., wound on a spindle.
BritishDialect. the top or tip of something, as the crest of a hill.
Origin of cop
3
First recorded before 1000; Middle English cop(e), coppe “summit, peak; top (of a tower, building),” also “crown (of the head),” Old English cop(p) “tip, top, summit”; probably cognate with Dutch kop, German Kopf “head”; see cup
That means cops with dubious records sometimes get bounced around police agencies.
Sacramento Report: Jones, COVID-19 and the Irony of Remote Voting|Sara Libby and Jesse Marx|August 28, 2020|Voice of San Diego
Diamandis compares it to a cop walking the beat, but for a biological threat—that is, it requires a more targeted approach than searching for one criminal.
Why Covaxx thinks it has a COVID-19 vaccine game changer on its hands|Sy Mukherjee|August 27, 2020|Fortune
However, private security agents still face far less public scrutiny than the average cop.
Defund the Police? Here Come the Private Security Patrols|Nick Fouriezos|August 27, 2020|Ozy
Earlier this month, Kate Nucci reported that cops since 2013 had issued at least 83 tickets for seditious language.
Morning Report: SDPD Says It Will Stop Seditious Language Tickets|Voice of San Diego|August 17, 2020|Voice of San Diego
When Jennifer Strong and I started reporting on the use of face recognition technology by police for our new podcast, “In Machines We Trust,” we knew these AI-powered systems were being adopted by cops all over the US and in other countries.
There is a crisis of face recognition and policing in the US|Tate Ryan-Mosley|August 14, 2020|MIT Technology Review
Smith attended both funerals as a cop and as the husband of Police Officer Moira Smith, who died on 9/11.
The Muslim Cop Killed by Terrorists|Michael Daly|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Lucas said that he himself nonetheless hopes to become a cop.
Shot Down During the NYPD Slowdown|Michael Daly|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Nobody ever says they want to become a cop so they can bust people for urinating in public or drinking alcohol on their stoop.
Shot Down During the NYPD Slowdown|Michael Daly|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
They selected an “easy mark” who turned out to be an off-duty NYC Housing Authority cop named James Carragher.
His First Day Out Of Jail After 40 Years: Adjusting To Life Outside|Justin Rohrlich|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The cop who shot Akai, he should be arrested and reprimanded for what he did.
Protesters Demand Justice For Gurley As Gap Grows Between Cops and NYC|M.L. Nestel|December 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Cope′-stone, Cop′ing-stone, the stone which copes or tops a wall; Cop′ing, the covering course of masonry of a wall.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D)|Various
I thought of all the things a cop might wear on his waistband, of the utility-belt that DHS guy in the truck had worn.
Little Brother|Cory Doctorow
"Gimme five tickets," said the cop, throwing a five-dollar bill on the showcase.
Options|O. Henry
It did not occur to him that the Huks would hardly have been called a "case" by anybody but a cop.
A Matter of Importance|William Fitzgerald Jenkins
Especially with your game leg, Jim retorted, adding with a chuckle: Here comes a cop.
Baseball Joe, Captain of the Team|Lester Chadwick
British Dictionary definitions for cop (1 of 4)
cop1
/ (kɒp) slang /
noun
another name for policeman
Britishan arrest (esp in the phrase a fair cop)
an instance of plagiarism
verbcops, coppingorcopped(tr)
to seize or catch
to steal
to buy, steal, or otherwise obtain (illegal drugs)Compare score (def. 26)
Also: cop itto suffer (a punishment)you'll cop a clout if you do that!
cop it sweetAustralianslang
to accept a penalty without complaint
to have good fortune
See also cop off, cop out
Word Origin for cop
C18: (vb) perhaps from obsolete cap to arrest, from Old French caper to seize; sense 1, back formation from copper ²
British Dictionary definitions for cop (2 of 4)
cop2
/ (kɒp) /
noun
a conical roll of thread wound on a spindle
mainlydialectthe top or crest, as of a hill
Word Origin for cop
Old English cop, copp top, summit, of uncertain origin; perhaps related to Old English coppcup
British Dictionary definitions for cop (3 of 4)
cop3
/ (kɒp) /
noun
Britishslang(usually used with a negative)worth or valuethat work is not much cop
Word Origin for cop
C19: n use of cop1 (in the sense: to catch, hence something caught, something of value)
British Dictionary definitions for cop (4 of 4)
COP
abbreviation for(in New Zealand)
Certificate of Proficiency: a pass in a university subject