English / phrasal verb
Bottle out
MEANING IN ENGLISH
To lose nerve and back out of a bold or challenging action at the last minute
In context
01
The municipal council bottled out of enforcing the strict zero-emission building mandates due to pressure from real estate lobbyists.
02
Investors almost bottled out of funding the mass-timber skyscraper until independent sustainability audits confirmed its fire safety.
Synonyms
chicken out,back out,shrink back
Antonyms
persevere,follow through,forge ahead
Collocations
bottle out of an agreement,bottle out at the last moment,bottle out of committing