bottle out

Meanings

verbbottle out (third-person singular simple present bottles out, present participle bottling out, simple past and past participle bottled out)

present singular third person bottles out · participle present bottling out · participle past bottled out · past bottled out

UKinformalTo fail to perform a promised or planned action due to lack of courage or nerve; to run away or back down from a contest or challenge.
I had really wanted to dive off the 10-metre platform, but in the end I bottled out.
Synonyms: bottle it, lose one's nerve, get cold feet

verbTo fail to perform a promised or planned action due to lack of courage or nerve; to run away or back down from a contest or challenge.

Also see

French craquer, se dégonfler

craquerto fail to perform a promised or planned action due to lack of courage or nerve
se dégonflerto fail to perform a promised or planned action due to lack of courage or nerve

Polish tchórzyć, stchórzyć

tchórzyćto fail to perform a promised or planned action due to lack of courage or nerve
stchórzyćto fail to perform a promised or planned action due to lack of courage or nerve

Cite this entry

APA

bottle out. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bottle%20out

MLA

“bottle out.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bottle%20out. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “bottle out,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bottle%20out.